Tag: Bookshelf

October Books

FICTION

Virgil Wander, by Leif Enger

Step into the pages of Virgil Wander and walk with the quirky, charming citizens of Greenstone, Minnesota, where normal life is anything but and Hard Luck Days is actually a celebrated event. Vintage theater owner and city clerk Virgil Wander drove through a guardrail and into Lake Superior and lived to tell the tale, although he wasn’t quite the same. Fable-like happenings prevail — a local sports hero disappears into the wild blue yonder; an elderly kite flyer enchants all; a movie star with seemingly sinister motives returns; a massive sturgeon lurks near the shore; and who is that mysterious, silent man Virgil occasionally spies standing on the water? Readers will be captivated by the warmth, wit and whimsy infused in each line.

Scribe, by Alyson Hagy

Folkloric, tragic and surreal, you might have to sit in stillness long after the final page of Scribe just to absorb Hagy’s evocative and achingly beautiful prose. Deep in Appalachia following a civil war and a pandemic, there remains a society under authoritarian rule. A woman living alone in a farmhouse has the ability to write letters for others who barter with the goods she needs to survive. She is haunted by her own misdeeds and a violent past that raises its head when a strange man requires her services in crafting and delivering a fateful letter. Her journey is a dream-like odyssey in a dystopian landscape that’s lyrical, desolate and wonderfully strange.

Man with a Seagull on his Head, by Harriet Paige

Ray Eccles’ mother has died and he is on his knees at the shore when a seagull falls from the sky and lands on his head — a scene witnessed by a woman walking on the beach. When he gets home, all he can do is paint this woman over and over again, creating the exact same picture every time. Discovered by “Outsider Art” collectors, he moves in with them and continues to paint, becoming a celebrated artist. Paige’s novel is a quirky, interesting, original story of a life lived one foot in front of the other, when nothing else matters but what is in front of you.

Little, by Edward Carey

After the death of her parents, a tiny odd-looking girl named Marie is apprenticed to an eccentric wax sculptor and whisked off to the seamy streets of Paris, where they meet a domineering widow and her quiet, pale son. Together, they convert an abandoned monkey house into an exhibition hall for wax heads, and the spectacle becomes a sensation. As word of her artistic talent spreads, Marie is called to Versailles, where she tutors a princess and saves Marie Antoinette in childbirth. But outside the palace walls, Paris is roiling: The revolutionary mob is demanding heads, and . . . at the wax museum, heads are what they do. Book clubs will enjoy discussing this wry, at times macabre, read.

A Well-Behaved Woman, by Therese Anne Fowler

In this thought-provoking fictional account, Alva Smith — her Southern family destitute after the Civil War — marries into a Gilded Age dynasty: the illustrious, wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilt family. Ignored by New York’s old-money circles and determined to win respect, Alva designed and built mansions, hosted grand balls, and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. She also defied convention for women of her time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women’s suffrage movement.

The Dream Daughter, by Diane Chamberlain

In 1970, Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect. She’s devastated until she learns that something can be done. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that she never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith. A rich, breathtaking novel about a mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel you will never forget.

The Traveling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa

Nana is a stray cat named for the spot on his tail that looks like the number seven (nana) in Japanese. His adoptive owner is Saturo, who nurses him after he’s been hit by a car. Saturo and the cat travel to distant towns to visit Saturo’s friends as he tries to find Nana a new home. Narrated in turns by Nana and by his owner, this funny, uplifting, heart-rending story of a cat is nothing if not profoundly human.

NONFICTION

In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown, by Nathaniel Philbrick

The thrilling story of the Revolutionary War’s decisive battle from The New York Times best-selling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Valiant Ambition. In the Battle of the Chesapeake, a French admiral foiled British attempts to rescue its army led by Lord Cornwallis. This naval battle, masterminded by Washington but fought without a single American ship, was largely responsible for the independence of the United States. A riveting and wide-ranging narrative, full of dramatic and unexpected turns, In the Hurricane’s Eye reveals that the fate of the American Revolution depended, in the end, on Washington and the sea.

The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London, by Christopher Skaife

The Yeoman Warder and Ravenmaster, Skaife lives at the Tower of London with his wife and writes the first behind-the-scenes account of the legendary ravens at one of the world’s eeriest monuments. He lets us in on his life as he feeds his birds raw meat and biscuits soaked in blood, buys their food at Smithfield Market, shines a light on the birds’ pecking order, social structure and the tricks they play on us. Skaife shows us who the Tower’s true guardians are.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Dreamers, by Yuyi Morales

Stunning mixed-media illustrations beautifully tell the story of a woman who journeys with her son to the United States to meet his grandfather. Her life is changed forever when she takes her child into a public library for the first time. Beautiful, simple and brilliantly told, Dreamers is a must read for anyone who has a story to tell. (Ages 4-6.)

My Dog Laughs, by Rachel Isadora

From the ever-amazing Isadora comes this perfect “getting a new dog” book. Simple lovely illustrations share the adventures of many different children and their new dogs as they choose a name, select a leash, train, care for, play, and laugh together. (Ages 3-6.)

A Long Line of Cakes, by Deborah Wiles

With five brothers in tow and a family who seems to move every time she makes a new friend, Emma Alabama Lane Cake is justifiably reluctant to make new friends when her family opens the Cake Cafe right between the post office and Miss Mattie’s Mercantile. But Emma has never met Ruby Lavender, and Ruby has a different plan. Sweet, silly and absolutely the most wholesome thing since the Little House on the Prairie series, A Long Line of Cakes is just the perfect thing for young readers or for families to share together. (Ages 8-12.)

Thundercluck! by Paul Tillery IV

A magic mishap grants the power of thunder to a chicken, who must face an evil chef in this debut novel from Tillery and co-illustrator Meg Wittwer. Thundercluck, the chicken of Thor, first appeared in an award-winning animation. The short film screened in over 50 festivals, including the San Diego Comic Con Film Festival, and the Con Carolinas Film Festival, where it won the 2015 Best Animation Award. “I wanted to tell the kind of story I would’ve loved at that age,” Tillery says. “It’s a quirky story, because I was a quirky kid.” Author/illustrator Tillery, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, where he teaches animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design, will share his adventures in animation, illustration, writing and quirky comedy at The Country Bookshop on Monday, Nov., 5 at 4 p.m. (Ages 7-12.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally

September Books

FICTION

Waiting for Eden, by Elliot Ackerman

A mortally wounded Marine, Eden, has been in a burn unit for three years. His wife never leaves his side. Believing that he is close to death, she agrees to allow the hospital to ease his way out of this world. But they realize the clacking of his teeth is a code and he’s trying to communicate. Although he is ready to end his life, they decide not to help him on that route in this moving tale of love, loss, loyalty and betrayal.

Transcription, by Kate Atkinson

In 1940, 18-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 and tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be both tedious and terrifying. After the war ends, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. Ten years later, after becoming a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, and she finds herself once more under threat.

The Labyrinth of the Spirits, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The internationally acclaimed New York Times best-selling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven in this riveting series finale — a heart-pounding tale of suspense that introduces a sexy, seductive new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain.

The Collector’s Apprentice, by B.A. Shapiro

It’s the summer of 1922, and 19-year-old Paulien Mertens finds herself in Paris — broke, disowned, and completely alone. Everyone in Belgium, including her own family, believes she stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiancé, George Everard. She creates a new identity and is hired by the eccentric and wealthy American art collector Edwin Bradley. She soon finds herself caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates as she travels between Paris and Philadelphia — where Bradley is building an art museum — and things get complicated as she tries to clear her name.

NONFICTION

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, by Sarah Smarsh

The anthem of a Midwestern childhood rises from the pages of this poetic, truth-telling memoir. Set in Kansas in the 1980s, Smarsh unapologetically tells the history of several generations of her family rife with physical abuse, substance abuse, poverty and nomadic upheaval. The product of an emotionally unattached mother, she shares the story of her childhood with her imagined, never-to-be-conceived daughter, August. Her people were hardworking and hard-partying, and would give the shirts off their backs to anyone in need, while never quite getting ahead themselves. This is an important sociological examination of the isolation and distrust in a class of people as overlooked and misunderstood as the “flyover” states of our nation’s heartland.

Small Fry, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

The fact that Brennan-Jobs’ father is Steve Jobs is part of the story, but it’s not the whole story in this well-written and engaging memoir. Transporting us to her childhood in California with detached perspective, she writes about a man who is fully himself, flaws and all, with the love, compassion and unapologetic care that a daughter can share.

Whiskey in a Teacup, by Reese Witherspoon

A lifestyle book with recipes and menus for entertaining and celebrating holidays, and ideas for making special occasions truly special, Whiskey in a Teacup is also full of personal essays about Witherspoon’s childhood memories; why she idolizes Dolly Parton; the importance of female friendships; her love of literature; portraits of family members; and her secret recipe for hot-rollering your hair. Peppered throughout with fun sidebars (“Let’s Talk about the Steel Magnolias Beauty Parlor Scene”; “How to Catch a Frog with Your Bare Hands”), the book’s voice is all Reese — chatty, funny, down-to-earth, open and enthusiastic.

In Pieces, by Sally Field

With the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect and the pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood and deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships — including her complicated love for her mother. Powerful and unforgettable, In Pieces is an inspiring and important account of life as a woman in the second half of the 20th century.

How Do We Look: The Body, the Divine and the Question of Civilization, by Mary Beard

Conceived as a gorgeously illustrated accompaniment to the Civilizations shows How Do We Look and The Eye of Faith on PBS, renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art. Focusing in Part I on the Olmec heads of early Mesoamerica, the colossal statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, and the nudes of classical Greece, Beard explores the power, hierarchy, and gender politics of art in the ancient world, explaining how it came to define the so-called civilized world. In Part II, she chronicles some of the most breathtaking religious imagery ever made — whether at Angkor Wat, Ravenna, Venice, or in the art of Jewish and Islamic calligraphers — to show how all religions, ancient and modern, have faced irreconcilable problems in trying to picture the divine. With this classic volume, Beard redefines the Western and male-centric legacies of Ernst Gombrich and Kenneth Clark.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Truth About My Unbelievable School, by Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud

Ho, hum. Every school has art, PE, science and a giant jellyfish for a class pet. Oh, wait, maybe not that pet thing. And maybe not an Olympic champion for a PE teacher. And possibly not a Ferris wheel or a principal’s office that . . . well, lets not talk about the principal’s office. Let’s just say that this school is unbelievable, and in a world of “school can be scary” back-to-school books, this book is, well, unbelievable, too. (Ages 4-6.)

Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise, by David Ezra Stein

Every great story has an elephant, um, element of surprise, and Little Red from the Caldecott Honor-winning Interrupting Chicken is back with a big surprise of her own. A very “pun-ny” read-aloud just perfect for story time, Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise is a ton of fun. (Ages 4-6.)

Running on the Roof of the World, by Jess Butterworth

Tash and her best friend, Sam, live in Tibet where, as practicing Buddhists under the strong arm of the occupying Chinese soldiers, they must never utter two words: Dalai Lama. So, when Tash’s parents are arrested following a local uprising, Tash and Sam, along with Eve and Bones — two absolutely wonderful borrowed yaks — make their way across the treacherous mountains to carry an urgent message that could just save everything and everyone they hold dear. Running on the Roof of the World is a fast-paced adventure that will leave curious young readers on the edge of their seat. (Ages 10-14.)

I Am Still Alive, by Kate Alice Marshall

Tense and brilliantly written, I Am Still Alive grabs you on the first page and doesn’t let go. After the death of her reclusive father, Jess and Bo, a half-wild almost bear-sized dog, scavenge for sustenance in the wilds of Canada. A great choice for a long, rainy day or, better yet, a snowed-in blackout blizzard night, I Am Still Alive is a must read for anyone who loves to see just what people are made of when pushed to the brink of existence. (Ages 14 and up.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally

2018 Bookshelf Department

August Books

FICTION

The Line That Held Us, by David Joy

Fasten your seat belt for another David Joy-ride. An accidental shooting death impacts the trajectory of multiple lives in a small North Carolina mountain community — some innocent, and some not so innocent. Friendships and brotherly love run as deep as the generations of the families that call these mountains home. Joy’s unflinching and honest narrative gives grace and dignity to his characters as they seek resolution and retribution. This masterful novel proves no one can write about modern Appalachia quite like David Joy.

Vox, by Christina Dalcher

Unsettling, unnerving and completely engrossing, Vox is the story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter. Set in a radical America where women are given a limit of 100 words a day — tallied by a counter bracelet that gives a strong electrical shock to those who exceed it — half the population may no longer read, write or hold jobs. These are abilities given only to males. Dr. Jean McClellan is a wife and mother determined to reclaim her voice for herself, her daughter and every other woman.

The Secret War Diaries of Abraham Lincoln, by Paul R. Dunn

Lincoln never kept a diary but Dunn, a Pinehurst author, has written a daily account of the war from Lincoln’s perspective, including his recurring dreams. Envisioned as a four-volume work, recently released volume two joins book one to cover the war years from November 1860 to January 1863. Both are available at The Country Bookshop. For each diary entry Dunn includes “author’s notes,” providing factual references with chronological accuracy.

Sold on a Monday, by Kristina McMorris

In 1931, near Philadelphia, ambitious reporter Ellis Reed photographs the gut-wrenching sign posted beside a pair of siblings on a farmhouse porch: 2 CHILDREN FOR SALE. With the help of newspaper secretary Lily Palmer, Ellis writes an article to accompany the photo. Capturing the hardships of American families during the Great Depression, the feature story generates national attention, and Ellis’ career skyrockets. But the piece also leads to consequences more devastating than he and Lily ever imagined, risking everything they value to unravel the mystery and set things right. Inspired by a newspaper photo that stunned readers throughout the country, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of ambition, redemption, love and family.

Penelope Lemon: Game On! by Inman Majors

Despite the pitfalls of balancing parental duties, jobs and the vagaries of middle-aged life, Penelope pushes through one obstacle after another, trying to regain her independence after divorce. Whether fumbling through the world of online dating; coping with a bullying situation involving her son, Theo; or wrestling with the discovery of nude photos from her carefree college days that are not quite as “artistic” as she remembers, Penelope gradually emerges as a modern day heroine who navigates the inanities of life with verve and humor.

French Exit, by Patrick deWitt

Quirky, wry, darkly witty, strange and absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious, French Exit is the perfect remedy for anyone seeking a respite from the plethora of World War II historical fiction and genre thrillers. Depicting dysfunctional families at their absolute oddest, Malcom Price, his doting mother, Frances, and their cat, Little Frank, abandon New York practically penniless and scurry off to Paris, where things only get stranger. Every page leaves the reader wondering, “What in the world will they do next?”

Meet Me at the Museum, by Anne Youngson

An English woman, Tina Hopgood, and Anders Larsen, the curator of a museum in Denmark, begin a 15-month-long correspondence growing out of their mutual interest in the museum’s exhibit about the Tollund Man, the subject of Seamus Heaney’s famous poem. Fearing their days of connection are over, the letters prove otherwise as the shared interest of the two lonely people in their 60s blossoms into something more. Readers who enjoyed Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will love Meet Me at the Museum.

NONFICTION

Small Animals: Parenting in the Age of Fear, by Kim Brooks

One cool spring morning, Kim Brooks made a split-second decision to leave her 4-year-old son in the car while she ran into a store. What happened would consume the next several years of her life and ultimately motivate her to write about the broader subject of parenthood and fear. By blending personal memoir, investigative reporting and sociological critique, Brooks offers a provocative, compelling portrait of parenthood in America and calls us to examine what we most value in our relationships with our children and one another.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, by Beth Macy

Using the story of the hometown she first featured in Factory Man, Macy shines a light on the forgotten people of America addicted to opioids. Lee County, Virginia, has been especially hard hit by the epidemic — 75 percent of police calls in the area are about heroin, methamphetamine, or a combination of both. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death of Americans under 50, and overdose deaths are 50 percent more likely in rural areas. Dopesick is important, tough reporting from an author who thoroughly explores America’s toughest social issues.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Secret Life of Squirrels: Back to School! by Nancy Rose

Mr. Peanuts, the super adorable star of the Secret Life of Squirrels, is off to help his friend, Ms. Rosie, get ready for the first day of school. Shopping for supplies, reviewing school rules and setting up the classroom is tons more fun when squirrels are in charge. (Ages 3-7.)

Willa of the Wood, by Robert Beatty

From the author of the popular Serafina books comes this first in a new series about Willa of the Wood, a young night spirit in the North Carolina Great Smoky Mountains. A thief who creeps into day-folks’ houses to take things they will not miss, Willa’s curiosity leaves her stranded in the day world, where she begins to question every tenet she once held sacred. (Ages 10-14.)

The 91 Story Treehouse, by Andy Griffiths

Only once in a blue moon is a series enjoyed by kids from the first through sixth grades. When that series includes a shark tank and a trampoline room . . . well, that makes it all that much better. The 91 Story Treehouse continues the saga of ridiculousness started in the 13 Story Treehouse and kids will be climbing the walls until this one hits the shelves. (Ages 8-12.)

Sea Witch, by Sarah Henning

Review by Ella Pate, 13: A perfect book for ocean lovers, Sea Witch is a phenomenal, gripping read and completely impossible to put down, locking me in until the very end. A great book about friendship, betrayal, and the never-to-forget threats of Urda, the sea. (Ages 13 and up.)

All of this is True, by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Before you pack the sunscreen, put this fast-paced, multi-tiered thriller right on top of the beach bag. This story-within-a-story with a wicked twist is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the summer. Fatima Ro’s new book, Undertow, is the hottest thing on the YA shelves, so when four prep school friends have the chance to meet her at a book signing, they feel like the luckiest superfans in the world. But as Fatima begins to write her newest story, things feel oddly familiar and terribly, terribly wrong. (Ages 14 and up.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

Bookshelf

July Books

NONFICTION

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man, by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic

Vincent, the co-author of Same Kind of Different as Me and Heaven is For Real, teams up with Vladic to re-examine the story of the Indianapolis. Thanks to a decade of original research and interviews with 107 survivors and eyewitnesses, Vincent and Vladic tell the complete story of the ship, her crew, and their final mission to save one of their own — the fight for justice on behalf of their skipper, Capt. Charles McVay III, who was put on trial as a scapegoat for the infamous and unforgettable moment in American naval history.

Jell-O Girls: A Family History, by Allie Rowbottom

After her great-great-great-uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor for $450, Rowbottom reveals the dark family history that flowed from one of the most profitable business deals ever. Jell-O Girls is a family story, a feminist memoir, and a tale of motherhood, love and loss. In crystalline prose, Rowbottom considers the roots of trauma not only in her own family, but in the American psyche, ultimately weaving a story that is deeply personal, as well as deeply connected to the collective female experience.

Killing It: An Education, by Camas Davis

A longtime food writer, Davis delivers a funny, heartfelt memoir of her journey from a girl without a job, home or boyfriend in Portland, Oregon, to rural France, where she learned the artisanal craft of an enlightened butcher. When Davis returns to Portland, the city is in the midst of a food revolution, where it suddenly seems possible to translate much of the Old World skills she learned in Gascony to a New World setting. Camas faces hardships and heartaches along the way, but in the end, Killing It is about what it means to pursue the real thing and dedicate your life to it.

Northland: A 4,000-Mile Journey Along America’s Forgotten Border, by Porter Fox

Spending three years exploring the border between the United States and Canada, traveling from Maine to Washington by canoe, freighter, car and on foot, Fox blends a deeply reported and beautifully written story of the region’s history with a riveting account of his travels. Fox follows explorer Samuel de Champlain’s adventures across the Northeast; recounts the rise and fall of the timber, iron and rail industries; crosses the Great Lakes on a freighter; tracks America’s fur traders through the Boundary Waters; and traces the 49th parallel from Minnesota to the Pacific Ocean.

City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled The Underworld of Old Shanghai, by Paul French

Set in a city of temptations, French tells an astonishing story of the two men whose lives intertwined in both crime and a twisted friendship. “Lucky” Jack Riley, with his acid-burnt fingertips, finds a future as The Slots King while “Dapper” Joe Farren, whose name was printed in neon across the Shanghai Badlands, rules the nightclubs. Eyewitness accounts from moles at the Shanghai Municipal Police, letters and contemporary newspaper articles inform this meticulously researched story, bringing to life the extravagant music halls, bars, theaters and political unrest of a city that appears both intensely glamorous and depressingly seedy.

FICTION

The Family Tabor, by Cherise Wolas

The beloved author of The Resurrection of Joan Ashby returns with a second novel. A family patriarch’s forthcoming award as Man of the Decade causes his wife and adult children to re-examine their choices, and the parts of themselves they share with family members in an engaging and remarkable work of literary fiction. The author will be in Southern Pines on July 25th.

Dear Mrs. Bird, by A.J. Pearce

British women’s magazines during World War II published articles about making do, keeping calm and carrying on as well as answers to queries about trivial events or how to cope when bad things happen. Dear Mrs. Bird tells the story of Emmy, who opens the mail addressed to the advice column at a magazine, and the events that unfold when she writes her own reply to one of the letters. If you loved Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or the Miss Read books, you will adore this book.

Clock Dance, by Anne Tyler

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life. In 1967, she is a schoolgirl coping with her mother’s sudden disappearance. In 1977, she is a college coed considering a marriage proposal. In 1997, she is a young widow trying to piece her life back together. And in 2017, she yearns to be a grandmother but isn’t sure she ever will be. Then, one day, Willa receives a startling phone call from a stranger. Without fully understanding why, she flies across the country to Baltimore to look after a young woman she’s never met, her 9-year-old daughter, and their dog, Airplane. Surrounded by eccentric neighbors who treat each other like family, she finds solace and fulfillment in an unexpected place.

Who Is Vera Kelly, by Rosalie Knecht

New York City, 1962. Vera Kelly is struggling to pay the rent and blend into the underground gay scene in Greenwich Village. She’s working night shifts at a radio station when her quick wit, sharp tongue and technical skills get her noticed by a recruiter for the CIA. Next thing she knows she’s in Argentina, tasked with wiretapping a congressman and infiltrating a group of student activists in Buenos Aires. As Vera becomes more and more enmeshed with the young radicals, the fragile local government begins to split at the seams. When a betrayal leaves her stranded in the wake of a coup, Vera learns the Cold War makes for strange and unexpected bedfellows, and she’s forced to take extreme measures to save herself.

CHILDRENS’ BOOKS

Doll-E 1.0, by Shanda McCloskey

Curious, inquisitive, confident Charlotte is always tinkering, coding, clicking and downloading. So when she gets a doll for a gift, what does she do? She tinkers, codes and clicks, and creates the new Doll-E 1.0. A celebration of science, creativity and play, Doll-E is the perfect book for budding young scientists who also love Rosie Revere. (Ages 3-7.)

Albert’s Tree, by Jenni Desmond

Who wouldn’t just adore sweet Albert! Concerned about why his tree is crying, Albert the bear sets out to solve the mystery and what he discovers surprises everyone. A great read-aloud, Albert’s Tree will become a favorite read-it-again story for young nature lovers. (Ages 3-6.)

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe,
by Jo Watson Hackl

Quirky charming Cricket Overland wanders out of Thelma’s Cash and Carry Grocery Store and into the hearts of readers who have loved Three Times Lucky, Savvy and The Penderwicks. Armed with only a few snacks, a hand shovel, duct tape and a live cricket named Charlene, Cricket sets out on her own to find some answers. A sweet, clever, stand-alone adventure story with an art history/mystery twist thrown in for good measure. (Ages 8-12.)

Furyborn, by Claire Legrand

Two young women, Rielle and Eliana, living centuries apart, tap into their extraordinary personal powers when someone close to them is threatened. As they fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world — and of each other. Bloody, violent, fast-paced and impossible to put down, fantasy fans everywhere will consider Furyborn a must-read for the summer.
(Ages 14 and up.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

June Books

POETRY

Proof, by Murray Dunlap

With the release of Proof, local author Murray Dunlap celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the car accident that left him immobile and with a severe brain injury. The poems chronicle his marriage, relationship with God, and the struggles and confusion he has encountered during his journey. Dunlap worked on the collection during his stay as a writer-in-residence at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities.

FICTION

How Hard Can It Be?, by Allison Pearson

Kate Reddy is approaching 50 and facing the ultimate female body betrayal: perimenopause, which she has nicknamed “Perry.” After leaving a highly successful career to raise her family, she finds herself entering the job market once again — no small feat at her age. All the while her husband is in the throes of a midlife crisis and her two children pose typical and not-so-typical challenges. The author of the best-selling I Don’t Know How She Does It leaves the reader gasping with laughter.

Florida, by Lauren Groff

In 11 short stories, each masterfully crafted by a writer with a keen eye for humanity, Groff lifts the curtain on the side of Florida the sunburned droves of tourists trekking to man-made meccas miss. Dark, lush and dreamy, the stories depict the dangerous natural elements lurking in the Sunshine State along with its dissatisfied, insecure and flawed characters.

Bring Me Back, by B.A. Paris

The author of Behind Closed Doors returns with a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. For the past decade Finn has wondered what happened to his girlfriend, Layla, after she disappeared from a rest stop. When he announces his engagement to Layla’s sister, Ellen, he starts getting signs that can only come from someone who knows her whereabouts
. . . or are they coming from Layla, herself?

Remind Me Again What Happened, by Joanna Luloff

A traveling journalist, Claire goes on an assignment to India, contracts Japanese encephalitis and wakes up alone in a hospital in the Florida Keys. Her husband and best friend come to be with her, and eventually take her home, but her memory loss wears on them all. Remind Me Again What Happened is a fascinating look at friendship and how events in our lives change those relationships.

Left: A Love Story, by Mary Hogan

Fay and Paul are vacationing in Spain when the first signs that something is wrong with Paul begin. Everything comes to a standstill when he falls and requires surgery. His mind is never the same, and Fay must learn to live with her new life. A touching account of loving someone in sickness and in health.

NONFICTION

Lincoln’s Last Trial, by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

At the end of the summer of 1859, 22-year-old “Peachy” Quinn Harrison went on trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, who had been involved in more than 3,000 cases — including more than 25 murder trials — during his two-decade legal career, was hired to defend him. Lincoln’s Last Trial captures a moment that shines a light on our legal system in a battle that remains incredibly relevant today.

The Price of Greatness: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the Creation of American Oligarchy, by Jay Cost

Hamilton emphasized economic growth and Madison the importance of republican principles. Cost argues that both men were right and that their quarrel reveals a fundamental paradox at the heart of the American experiment. He shows that each man, in his own way, came to accept corruption as a cost of growth. The Price of Greatness reveals the trade-off that made the United States the richest nation in human history, and that continues to fracture our politics to this day.

Race to Save the Romanovs: The Truth Behind the Secret Plans to Rescue the Russian Imperial Family, by Helen Rappaport

Investigating the murder of the Russian imperial family, Helen Rappaport embarks on a quest to uncover the various international plots and plans to save them, why they failed, and who was responsible. She draws on never-before-seen sources from archives in the United States, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom, creating a powerful account of near misses and close calls with a heartbreaking conclusion.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Brave Enough for Two, by Jonathan D. Voss

Hoot and Olive are best friends and adventure lovers. As often happens, opposites attract. Olive likes her adventure in books while Hoot prefers the great outdoors. But, when good friends get together, things always seem to work out. With classic-feeling illustrations and a gentle back-and-forth story, Hoot and Olive are reminiscent of the friendships found in the A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh stories. (Ages 3-6.)

Crunch the Shy Dinosaur, by Cirocco Dunlap, with illustrations by Greg Pizzoli

Shhhhh. Crunch the Dinosaur wants to come out and play, but is just too shy. Whisper his name and maybe he will venture out to join you. Engaging and interactive, this cute new dinosaur tale will delight young readers over and over again. (Ages 3-6.)

The Inventors at No. 8, by A.M. Morgen

On the eve of his 10th birthday, George, the third Lord of Devonshire, has suffered the death of almost all of the adults closest to him. His only guardian is his manservant, Frobisher. The pair survive by selling the furnishings from George’s house. When a thief tries to steal George’s legacy, his grandfather’s map to the Star of Victory, an ingenious mechanical bird intervenes. Jam-packed with thieves, clues and intrigue, The Inventors at No. 8 is a great summer read. (Ages 8-13.)

Neverworld Wake, by Marisha Pessl

Beatrice, Martha, Cannon, Whitley and Kipling find themselves in the Neverworld Wake, the hours the friends relive over and over, a hundred, a thousand, possibly a million times as they search for answers about their friend, Jim’s, death, and the accident that threw them into the wake. “The first thing you must do is stay calm,” says the mysterious Keeper. This psychological thriller of the most fascinating sort, where one’s worst nightmare is relived again and again, is an absolute beach-bag must for fans of Gone Girl, We Were Liars and We Are the Goldens. (Ages 14 to adult.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

May Bookshelf

FICTION

Overkill, by Ted Bell

In Bell’s newest Alex Hawke thriller, while on a ski vacation in the Swiss Alps, Hawke’s son, Alexei, is kidnapped in the confusion following the crash of a burning tram. To save his son Hawke enlists the aid of his trusted colleagues. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has narrowly escaped a coup and fled to Falcon’s Lair, a former Alpine complex built by the Nazis, where he can plan his path back to power. Hawke must find out who took his son and why and, in the process, defeat Putin’s scheme for a triumphant return.

Southernmost, by Silas House

When a flood washes away much of a small community along the Cumberland River in Tennessee, Asher Sharp, an evangelical preacher there, starts to see his life anew. Unable to embrace his estranged brother’s coming out, Sharp tries to offer shelter to two gay men in the aftermath of the flood. He’s met with resistance by his wife and his church. He loses his job, his wife, and custody of his son, Justin, whom he decides to kidnap and take to Key West, where he suspects that his brother is now living. The emotions are heartfelt and the love is fierce in this thought-provoking novel.

Tin Man, by Sarah Winman

In a spectacularly gorgeous novel, a copy of a Van Gogh sunflower painting won in a raffle impacts the trajectory of the lives it touches, infusing hope, possibility, and color. Told in two parts, this insightful story explores the solace, friendship and deep love that follow two boys as they grow to men in Oxford, England. The beauty, tenderness and rich, warm prose in Winman’s latest work will not leave you untouched.

Our Kind of Cruelty, by Araminta Hall

In a twisted psychological thriller that will have you cringing, laughing, and gasping in horror, Mike is building the perfect life for Verity and himself. He would do anything to make her happy. The only hitch is that Verity is marrying someone else. But that doesn’t stop Mike — surely she’s just trying to teach him a lesson, trying to get him to make a grand gesture and bring her back to him. Spending 300 pages inside the mind of Mike Hayes is an adventure you won’t soon forget.

My Ex-Life, by Stephen McCauley

When his young lover leaves him for an older and more successful man, and his ex-wife’s daughter contacts him for help with a sticky situation, David Fiske finds himself leaving his (soon to be sold) San Francisco apartment, temporarily moving in with his ex-wife, Julie, and unwittingly becoming the No. 1 light bulb changer in Julie’s Airbnb. The perfect book for the beach or the book club, My Ex-Life will make you laugh while you’re shaking your head.

Warlight, by Michael Ondaatje

When their parents go to Asia after World War II, Michael and his sister, both teenagers, are left in the care of a stranger, The Moth. Or so they thought. It will be years before they discover what their mother really intended. In the meantime, they are going to school by day and mingling with The Moth and his unusual friends by night. A great coming of age story.

Love and Ruin, by Paula McLain

History tells us that Martha Gellhorn was more than a typical woman of her time and more than Ernest Hemingway’s third wife. Filled with a sense of adventure and wanderlust, she was a daring war correspondent and a gifted author in her own right. McClain captures the turbulent mood as the seeds of war are being sown in this absorbing novel written by the acclaimed author of The Paris Wife.

NONFICTION

The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,
by Jon Meacham

The Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author of American Lion, Franklin and Winston and Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power helps us to understand the present moment in American politics by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Tom Brokaw calls it “a historically rich and gracefully written account of America’s long struggle with division in our immigrant nation and the heroic efforts to heal the wounds.”

Margaritaville: The Cookbook: Relaxed Recipes for a Taste of Paradise, by Carlo Sernaglia, Julia Turshen and Jimmy Buffett

Chef Carlo Sernaglia, Margaritaville’s concept chef, combines his worldly work in the kitchen with the James Beard award-winning cookbook writer, Julia Turshen, co-author of Gwyneth Paltrow’s game-changing recipe book It’s All Good. Buffett writes the forward and, no doubt, these recipes will be a bit of paradise.

Robin, by Dave Itzkoff

Everyone is raving about this biography of the late comedian and actor Robin Williams. Interviews with friends and family combined with Itzkoff’s insightful analysis create a full portrait of Williams, the man and the myths surrounding him. Meticulously researched, this page-turning read comes from the culture reporter for The New York Times, whose work also appears in Vanity Fair, Maxim, Details, GQ, Wired and Spin.

Calypso, by David Sedaris

A true joy to read, Sedaris’ thoughts leap off the page. His essays reflect on family, marriage, sisters, his aging father and his deceased sister and mother. Most of the remembrances take place at the newly purchased family beach house on the North Carolina coast. Funny and truthful, Sedaris delivers a wonderful collection.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

A Truck Full of Ducks, by Ross Burach

When you call for a truck full of ducks, fun and frivolity are delivered ASAP. This hilarious book is perfect for story time or any time a little one needs a big laugh. (Ages 2-5.)

Alma and How She Got Her Name, by Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma Sophia Esperanza José Pura Candela is a little girl with a big name and an even bigger story to tell. This super cute read-aloud is a great introduction to family history or just a lovely way to dive into the deep stories behind everyday things — like a child’s name! (Ages 3-6.)

Ten Horse Farm, by Robert Sabuda

The pop-up book master’s newest creation is sure to delight horse lovers of all ages. Pop-up spreads of horses grazing, prancing, pulling and galloping leap off the page, stunning scene after stunning scene, in this creation inspired by historic horse activities and the author’s own horse farm turned artist’s studio in upstate New York. (Ages 8-adult.)

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, by Stacy McAnulty

Being a genius is hard, hard, hard. Lucy Callahan doesn’t even remember the bolt of lightning that made her a math prodigy, but she does remember that on her first day of school (seventh grade, even though she already has her GED!) Lucy’s grandma made her promise to make one friend, join one activity and read one book that is not a math book. What Lucy expects to find is a school full of inferiors. What she actually discovers is a great friend, a talented boy with a camera, and a dog that desperately needs the help of all of them. Sweet enough to be a summer read and powerful enough to be a strong Newbery contender, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is an absolute must read for anyone heading into middle school . . . even if they are a genius. (Ages 10-14.)

For Every One, by Jason Reynolds

In this letter to himself, the ever amazing Jason Reynolds encourages anyone who has ever had a dream, a goal, a mission or who has burned with passion for an idea, to not let the “legs of passion turn to soot.” Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is the absolute perfect gift for graduates, those starting new jobs or anyone pondering a life change. Reynolds encourages dreamers to push away the noise of the world, to dream, to go, and to never look back. (Ages 12-adult.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

April Books

FICTION

Women in Sunlight, by Frances Mayes

Julia, Camille and Susan have launched a recent and spontaneous friendship that will uproot them completely and redirect their lives. Susan, the most adventurous of the three, entices them into taking a lease on a big, beautiful house in Tuscany. Though novices in a foreign culture, their renewed sense of adventure imbues each of them with a bright sense of bravery, gusto for life, and a fierce determination to thrive. With their new friend, Kit, an American writer, the three friends launch themselves into Italian life, pursuing passions long forgotten. Women in Sunlight reads like a Nora Ephron movie that no one wants to end.

Swimming Between Worlds, by Elaine Neil Orr

When Tacker, a football hero who just lost his prestigious engineering job in West Africa, and Kate Monroe, a recent college graduate whose parents just passed away, encounter a young African-American, Gaines Townson, their stories converge. As Winston-Salem is pulled into the tumultuous 1960s, these three Americans find themselves at the center of the civil rights struggle, coming to terms with the legacies of the past as they search for an ennobling future.

Circe, by Madeline Miller

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world. A daughter born into the house of Helios, Circe discovers she possesses the power of witchcraft. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to an island where she has her own adventures with mortals and mythological figures alike. She must choose the world in which she belongs.

Macbeth, by Jo Nesbø

Set in the 1970s in a run-down, rainy industrial town with low employment and high crime, Jo Nesbø’s Macbeth centers around a police force struggling to shed an incessant drug problem. Duncan, chief of police, is idealistic and visionary, a dream to the townspeople but a nightmare for the criminals. The drug trade is ruled by Hekate, whose illegal cultivation of substances, known as “the brew,” is overseen by her crew, “the sisters.” A master of manipulation, Hekate has connections with the highest in power, and she plans to use them to get her way in this magnificent retelling of the classical Macbeth tale by a masterful modern storyteller.

Varina, by Charles Frazier

From the best-selling author of Cold Mountain, Varina is a moving portrait of the Civil War and its aftermath told from the point of view of one of its most compelling and enigmatic figures. Inspired by the audacious and adventure-filled life of Varina Howell Davis, the second wife of President Jefferson Davis, Varina is the forcefully rendered, captivating fourth novel from Frazier, who returns to the time and place of his momentous first novel.

The Secret to Southern Charm, by Kristy Woodson Harvey

After finding out her military husband is missing in action, middle sister Sloane’s world crumbles as her worst nightmare comes true. She can barely climb out of bed, much less summon the strength to be the parent her children deserve. Her mother, Ansley, provides a much-needed respite at the family beach house, putting her personal life on hold to help Sloane and her grandchildren wade through their new grief-stricken lives. Between caring for her own aging mother, her daughters, and her grandchildren, Ansley’s private worry is that secrets from her past will come to light.

NONFICTION

Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class, by Luke Barr

In a tale replete with scandal and opulence, Luke Barr, author of the New York Times best-selling Provence, 1970, transports readers to the Belle Époque era turn-of-the-century London and Paris to discover how celebrated hotelier César Ritz and famed chef Auguste Escoffier joined forces at the Savoy Hotel to spawn the modern luxury hotel and restaurant, where America’s nouveau riche mingled with British high society, signaling a new social order and the rise of the middle class.

The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World’s Rarest Species, by Carlos Magdalena

In an impassioned memoir about saving extraordinary plants on the brink of extinction, Magdalena takes readers from the Amazon to the jungles of Mauritius to deep within the Australian Outback in search of the rare and the vulnerable. Back in the lab, he develops groundbreaking techniques for rescuing species from extinction, encouraging them to propagate and thrive once again. Along the way, he offers moving, heartfelt stories about the secrets contained within these incredible organisms.

The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Table, by Rick Bragg

Enjoy the memories and stories of one of the South’s best writers as he explores his mother’s cooking. Margaret Bragg does not own a single cookbook. She measures in “dabs” and “smidgens” and “tads” and “you know, hon, just some.” She cannot be pinned down on how long to bake corn bread, “about 15-to-20 minutes, depending on the mysteries of your oven.” Her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads, by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil

Raw, urgent, yet disarmingly beautiful, The Girl Who Smiled Beads captures the true costs and aftershocks of war — what is forever lost; what can be repaired; the fragility and importance of memory; the faith that one can learn to love oneself, even with deep scars. Two sisters, refugees of the 1994 Rwandan massacre, travel through seven African countries as refugees, witnessing horrors and kindness. When they are granted asylum in the United States their lives diverge but their bond is unbreakable.

The Truth about Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wild Life, by Lucy Cooke

Humans have gone to the moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we’ve still got a long way to go. Whether we’re seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins “holding hands,” it’s hard for us not to project our own values — innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work — onto animals. So, you’ve probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lie about. They do, and that’s just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret and often hilarious habits of the animal kingdom. Charming, and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Waist-high in a river in northern New Mexico, Kirk Wallace Johnson has learned from his fly-fishing guide about the 2009 heist of one of the largest ornithological collections in the world. The 28-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist robbed the Tring museum, full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers, collected more than 150 years ago by contemporaries of Darwin, were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Rist’s obsession: the art of fly tying. Johnson was catapulted into a worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, The Feather Thief is a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man’s destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Baby Monkey, Private Eye, by Brian Selznick and David Serlin

He’s a monkey! He’s a baby! He’s a private investigator! Baby Monkey’s adventures come to life in an exciting blend of picture book, beginning reader, and graphic novel. With easy-to-read text and elaborate illustrations by Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Selznick, Baby Monkey is just the cutest thing on the shelf. (Ages 6-10)

My Pet Wants a Pet, by Elise Broach

What starts out as a typical story — boy wants a pet — barrel rolls into a comic tale as each pet soon wants a pet of their own. The perfect story for the family pondering pet ownership, My Pet Wants A Pet reveals that, in the end, when you take care of something, that something takes care of you. (Ages 3-6)

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings

Arfy wants a home. Any home! The beautiful house, the butcher, the fire station. Arfy’s not choosy, so he pens notes to everyone on Butternut Street. Unfortunately, no one can seem to accommodate this sweet, literate pup until, surprise, someone steps up. Just like Arfy, this charming little book will find its way into the hearts of readers young and old. (Age 3-6)

Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Jerome is a 12-year-old tragically killed when a police officer mistakes his toy gun for a real weapon. As a ghost, Jerome meets Emmitt Till, another ghost from another time, who helps Jerome understand the devastation unleashed on his family and community. Ghost Boys will haunt the reader long past the final page. Destined to be the novel of the year. (Ages 12 and up) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

March Books

FICTION

Gods of Howl Mountain, by Taylor Brown

This is the third novel by the acclaimed author of The River of Kings and Fallen Land set in the high country of 1950s North Carolina. Gods of Howl Mountain is a dark and compelling story of family secrets, whiskey running, vengeance and love. Maybelline Docherty, “Granny May,” is a folk healer with a dark past. She concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains — her powers rumored to rival those of a wood witch — while watching over her grandson, Rory Docherty, who has returned from the Korean War with a wooden leg and nightmares of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Rory runs bootleg whiskey in a high-powered car to roadhouses, brothels and private clients in the mill town at the foot of the mountains. With gritty and atmospheric prose, Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it, tying together past and present in one captivating narrative.

What You Don’t Know about Charlie Outlaw, by Leah Stewart

After a series of missteps in the face of his newfound fame, actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his girlfriend, actress Josie Lamar. Soon after his arrival on the peaceful island, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated. As Charlie struggles with gaining fame, Josie struggles with its loss. The star of a cult TV show in her early 20s, Josie has spent the two decades since searching for a role to equal that one, and feeling less and less like her character, the heroic Bronwyn Kyle. As she gets ready for a reunion of the cast at a huge fan convention, she thinks all she needs to do is find a part and replace Charlie. But she can’t forget him, and to get him back she’ll need to be a hero in real life.

Tangerine, by Christine Mangan

Lucy Mason was the last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband, John. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends — once inseparable roommates — haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Too afraid to venture out into the bustling medina and oppressive heat, Alice hadn’t adjusted to life in Morocco. Lucy, fearless and independent, helps her emerge from her flat and explore the country. Soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice — she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. When John goes missing, Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to come to Tangier, and her own state of mind. Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book, a tightly wound debut replete with exotic imagery and charm. Full of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it will leave you absolutely breathless.

Caribbean Rim, by Randy Wayne White

Marine biologist Doc Ford has been known to help his friends out of jams, but he’s never faced a situation like this. Murder, sunken treasure and pirates both ancient and modern send Ford on a nightmare quest in this thrilling new novel. His old pal Carl Fitzpatrick has been chasing sunken wrecks most of his life, but now he’s run afoul of the Florida Division of Historical Resources. Its director, Leonard Nickelby, despises amateur archaeologists, which is bad enough, but now he and his young “assistant” have disappeared — along with Fitzpatrick’s impounded cache of rare Spanish coins and the list of uncharted wrecks Fitz spent decades compiling. Some of Fitz’s own explorations have been a little dicey, so he can’t go to the authorities. Doc is his only hope. But greed makes people do terrible things: rob, cheat, even kill. With stakes this high, there’s no way the thieves will go quietly — and Doc just put himself in their crosshairs.

Anatomy of a Miracle, by Jonathan Miles

The last place Private First Class Cameron Harris walked was in a field in the Darah Khujz District of Zabul Province, in Afghanistan. A paraplegic for the last four years, he lives with his older sister, Tanya, in their Biloxi, Mississippi, family home — a narrow, 50-year-old shotgun-style house that wasn’t designed for the turning radius of a wheelchair — in a neighborhood where only half the houses made it through the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina. One hot August afternoon on their daily trip to the Biz-E-Bee convenience store, as Cameron waits outside for Tanya, he suddenly and inexplicably stands up. In the aftermath of this “miracle,” Cameron finds himself a celebrity at the center of a contentious debate about what’s taken place. And when scientists, journalists and a representative from the Vatican start digging, Cameron’s deepest secrets are endangered. Written as a closely observed journalistic rendering, filtered through a wide lens that encompasses the vibrant characters, Anatomy of a Miracle is a remarkable story of the perils of grace.

The Flight Attendant, by Chris Bohjalian

From The New York Times best-selling author of The Guest Room, a powerful story of how an entire life can change in one night when a flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man — and no idea what happened. Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to morning hangovers. She’s a binge drinker with a taste for adventure who lives with occasional blackouts and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakens in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece together the previous night, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And a slick, wet pool of blood on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police, Cassie lies to the other flight attendants and pilots; she lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin; and she lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.

NONFICTION

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

The first time Tara Westover set foot in a classroom she was 17 years old. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag.” In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. As a way out, Tara began to educate herself, learning enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University. Her quest for knowledge would transform her, taking her to Harvard and, then, Cambridge University. With acute insight, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes, and the will to change it.

The Beekeeper: Saving the Stolen Women of Iraq, by Dunya Mikhail, translated by Max Weiss

Since 2014, Daesh (ISIS) has been brutalizing the Yazidi people of Northern Iraq: sowing destruction, killing those who won’t convert to Islam, and enslaving young girls and women. The Beekeeper, by the acclaimed poet and journalist Dunya Mikhail, tells the harrowing stories of several women who lost their families and loved ones, been sexually abused, psychologically tortured, and forced to manufacture chemical weapons. In extensive interviews an unlikely hero emerges: a beekeeper, who uses his knowledge of the local terrain, along with a wide network of transporters, helpers, and former cigarette smugglers, to bring these women, one by one, through the war-torn landscapes of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, back to safety. In the face of inhuman suffering, this powerful work of nonfiction offers a counterpoint to Daesh’s genocidal extremism: hope, as ordinary people risk their own lives to save those of others.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Bears and Blossoms, by Shirley Parenteau

Readers who fell in love with Bears on Chairs will squeal with delight as Big Brown Bear and the four little bears welcome spring with a picnic under flowering trees. But when a great wind threatens their yummy honey-on-bread lunch, the bears declare, “The Wind is just right!” and set off flying kites. With rhyming text and delightful illustrations, Bears and Blossoms is the perfect read-together book to celebrate the coming of spring. (Ages 2-5.)

The Horse’s Haiku, by Michael Rosen

From field to barn to field, the grace, playfulness and beauty of the horse is celebrated through haiku in this stunningly simple, quietly lovely picture book. Horse lovers of all ages will smile with appreciation at author Michael Rosen’s clever insights into the cool quirkiness of horses and his genuine understanding of the connection between horse and rider told exclusively through haiku. (Age 6-adult.)

Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds,
by Abby Hanlon

You really just can’t help but love Dory Fantasmagory. One of the newest kids on the chapter book scene, this series has it all: a fun-loving character, an imaginary best friend, a goofy school buddy, an invisible arch nemesis evil witch and a good kid-problem or two. In Head in the Clouds, Dory must rebel against the wearing of the horrible “bunchy coat,” contend with an overzealous neat freak playdate, and save the tooth fairy from an imaginary evil witch nemesis. Chapter books really have never been full of so much fun and adventure. (Ages 7-10.)

Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire, by John August

Arlo Finch moves to a new town where he joins the Rangers program and learns about the mysterious Long Woods and the magic seeping out from within them. Arlo must face down fierce enemies and help friends in need on his way to becoming a better Ranger. Filled to the brink with plot twists, turns and surprises throughout. Readers who like fantasy or realistic fiction will adore Arlo — review by Henry Bauer, 12. (Ages 10-14.)

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

January Books

FICTION

Direct Fire, by A.J. Tata

A thriller that cuts to the heart of our cyber-security threat. When Jake Mahegan receives a distress call from Gen. Savage in North Carolina, he rushes to the commander’s home — and walks right into an ambush. Joining forces with Savage’s combat JAG officer, Mahegan follows the trail to a killer, a Syrian refugee-turned-terrorist who vows to avenge the bombing of a Syrian wedding by killing as many Americans as possible. Terrorist cells are gathering in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hackers are emptying the nation’s banks of millions of dollars. And their final act of vengeance will bring the whole world to its knees.

Munich: A Novel, by Robert Harris

Hugh Legat is a rising star of the British diplomatic service, serving at 10 Downing Street as private secretary to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Rikard von Holz is on the staff of the German Foreign Office — and secretly a member of the anti-Hitler resistance. The two men were friends at Oxford in the 1920s, but have not been in contact since. Now, when Legat flies with Chamberlain from London to Munich, and von Holz travels on Hitler’s train overnight from Berlin, their paths are set on a disastrous collision course. Robert Harris, author of Conspirator: A Novel of Ancient Rome, places characters of historical importance — Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini, Daladier — at the heart of an electrifying, novel you can’t put down.

The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn

With captivating prose Finn crafts a novel about a woman who watches her neighbors through the telephoto lens of her camera. After witnessing a brutal attack, her attempts to contact the authorities turn her life into a nightmare. A fantastic thriller where nothing is as it seems.

Need to Know, by Karen Cleveland

A gripping novel by a CIA insider about an agent tasked with identifying Russian spies living in plain sight. After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her — her job, her husband, even her four children — is threatened. Vivian becomes torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion. A frightening glimpse into what may be happening today.

The Chalk Man, by C.J. Tudor

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence in a sleepy little English village. The chalk men are their secret code — little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same. In 2016, Eddie gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his childhood friends get the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead. This is a suspense novel of the highest rank where every character is wonderfully compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

The Black Painting, by Neil Olson

There are four cousins in the Morse family, long fractured by the loss of a cursed Goya painting, when their grandfather summons them to his mansion at Owl’s Point. The family finds the old man dead, his horrified gaze pinned on the spot where the painting once hung. As suspects mount in this literary mystery, cousin Teresa hopes to solve the puzzle of the painting and her grandfather’s death, but to do so she must uncover ugly family secrets, and confront those who would keep them hidden.

Green, by Sam Graham-Felsen

Boston, 1992: “House of Pain” is on the radio, Arsenio Hall is on TV, and Bill Clinton is in the White House. The city’s school system is largely segregated and former working-class neighborhoods are in the early stages of gentrification. Dave (or, as he longs to be called, Green) is the white boy at the mostly black Martin Luther King Middle School, where he is lonely, constantly taunted, and desperate to fit in. Dave’s life takes a sudden turn for the better when he befriends Marlon, who lives in the public housing around the corner from Dave’s own gentrified block. Marlon confounds Dave’s assumptions about black culture: He’s nerdy, neurotic and a Celtics fan whose favorite player is the white, skinny Larry Bird. Together, the two boys seem almost able to resist the contradictory personas forced on them by the outside world. But as the school year progresses, challenges arise in the form of girls and bullies, family secrets and national violence, and Marlon and Dave struggle not to betray themselves or each other in this coming-of-age novel.

Fire Sermon, by Jamie Quarto

A daring debut novel of obsession, lust and salvation by the highly lauded author of the story collection I Want To Show You More, Qurto charts with bold intimacy and immersive sensuality the life of a married woman entirely devoted to her husband, Thomas, their two beautiful children, and to God. Devoted, that is, until what begins as a platonic intellectual and spiritual exchange between writer Maggie and poet James transforms into an erotically charged bond that challenges Maggie’s sense of loyalty and morality, drawing her deeper into the darkness of desire.

NONFICTION

Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill, by J. Randy Taraborrelli

If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their relentless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half-brother, as well as letters and journals, Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.

The Meaning of Birds, by Simon Barnes

One of our most eloquent nature writers explores how birds achieve the miracle of flight; why birds sing; what they tell us about the seasons of the year; and what their presence tells us about the places they inhabit. The Meaning of Birds muses on the uses of feathers, the drama of raptors, the slaughter of pheasants, the infidelities of geese, and the strangeness of feeling sentimental about blue tits while enjoying a chicken sandwich. Barnes explores both the intrinsic wonder of what it is to be a bird and the myriad ways in which birds can help us understand the meaning of life.

Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father’s Culinary Adventures, by Rae Katherine Eighmey

In this remarkable work, Eighmey presents Franklin’s delight and experimentation with food throughout his life. At 16, he began dabbling in vegetarianism. In his early 20s, he convinced his printing press colleagues to forgo their breakfast of beer and bread for porridge. He applied his scientific discoveries to the kitchen and ate with curiosity in France and England on his diplomatic missions. Franklin saw food as key to understanding the developing culture of the United States, penning essays presenting maize as the defining grain of America. Stirring the Pot conveys all of this Founding Father’s culinary adventures, demonstrating that his love of food shaped not only his life but also the character of the young nation he helped build.

The Monk of Mokha, by Dave Eggers

From the best-selling author of The Circle and What Is the What, a heart-pounding true story that weaves together the history of coffee, the struggles of everyday Yemenis living through civil war, and the courageous journey of a young man — a Muslim and U.S. citizen — following the most American of dreams.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Dear Girl, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Sometimes you feel pink and sparkly; sometimes you feel just the opposite. Sometimes you want to ask: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Sometimes you want to make your room awesome (and sometimes I wish you would just want to make your bed!). Sometimes you are brave and sometimes you are tentative, but whatever you are, you are awesome. From the author of Uni the Unicorn, in this celebration of girl power no obstacle is too high, no dream too big, and no wish too grand for a strong woman. (All ages.)

I Am Harriet Tubman, by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Chris Elipoulos

A few years ago, best-selling author and History Channel host Brad Meltzer, motivated by his own experience raising three children, decided to offer them a different kind of hero. He was tired of the princesses and reality stars that people looked up to, and knew from his love of history that there were incredible real world heroes that children would be fascinated by and look up to. The Ordinary People Change the World series was born as a way to give today’s kids the right role models and to encourage them to live heroically. Harriet Tubman, the newest addition to the series, is an American hero who had a pivotal role in the fight against slavery and will become the first African-American woman to have her face appear on American currency when the $20 bill is revamped in 2020. (Available January 16. Ages 6-10.)

Upside-Down Magic: Dragon Overnight, by Sarah Mlynowski, Emily Jenkins and Lauren Myracle

Nory, Elliott, Andres and Bax are classmates in Dunwiddle Magic School’s Upside-Down Magic class. In a classroom in which students all have magical abilities, lessons are unconventional, students are unpredictable, and magic has a tendency to turn wonky at the worst possible moment. Dragon Overnight, will be published Jan. 30 and is the fourth book in the fun Upside-Down Magic series. Meet the authors Friday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. at The Country Bookshop. This event is free and open to the public. (Ages 7-10.) PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

2018 Bookshelf Department

December Books

Our Town

Southern Sunrises, by Tom Bryant

An endearing collection of Bryant’s “Sporting Life” columns, originally appearing in PineStraw magazine, captures what it is to be Southern and true in these stories of fishing, bird hunting, friends and family.

The Hamlet Fire: A Tragic Story of Cheap Food, Cheap Government and Cheap Lives, by Bryant Simon

A look at the 1991 fire at the Imperial Foods processing plant in Hamlet reveals much about the state of the food industry in America. The investigative reporting by Simon suggests local lore surrounding the tragic fire is incorrect. Worth a read.

Spiderella: The Girl who Spoke with Spiders, by Romey Petite and Laurel Holden

This is a surefire gift for little ones of all ages. A collaboration of two Southern Pines artists and storytellers, it’s a modern version of the Cinderella theme with illustrations and costumes that stay with you long after the book is closed.

Coffee Table

The Authentics: A Lush Dive Into the Substance of Style, by Melanie Acevedo and Dara Caponigro

The best coffee table book of the year by the founding editor of Domino magazine. The photographs of the graceful spaces and the people who inhabit them are beautiful, but this book is made readable by the interviews with each “Authentic.” A wonderful addition in your living room.

Vogue Living: Country, City, Coast edited, by Hamish Bowles and Chloe Malle

This collection of Vogue homes from 2008 to 2016 showcases the magazine’s brilliant and varied photography. Similar to the Vogue Weddings: Brides, Dresses, Designers from 2012, this is sure to be a staple for appreciators of elegance.

Stocking Stuffers

You Look Better Online: Your Life in 150 Unfiltered Cartoons, by Emmet Truxes

This stocking-sized book is full of truths about modern life that will have adults, young and old, giggling through Christmas morning and beyond.

365 Days of Firsts: A Daily Record of Baby’s First Year

A little book to help new parents record each memorable milestone. Attractive, with quick dates and a few lines to fill in as the newborn grows up, this is a fantastic (and easy) way to chronicle the treasures of life.

Biography

Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend, by Meryl Gordon

The story of the trendsetting Bunny Mellon, the designer of the White House Rose Garden, is full of family secrets, politics, art and fashion among America’s 20th century elite.

Churchill and Orwell: The Fight For Freedom, by Thomas E. Ricks

A dual biography of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, two of the most important people in British history who shared the vision and courage to campaign tirelessly, in words and in deeds, against the totalitarian threat from both the left and the right.

Leonardo Da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson

The author of Steve Jobs and Einstein takes a spellbinding look at history’s most creative genius, weaving a narrative that connects Da Vinci’s art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

Sisters First: Stories from our Wild and Wonderful Life, by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush

Much more than a tale of politics, the girls who saw both their grandfather and father serve as President of the United States co-author a thoughtful memoir about their lives and American history over the last 30 years.

Grant, by Ron Chernow

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Washington and Alexander Hamilton delivers a brilliant account of Ulysses S. Grant’s life. Chernow provides a deeper understanding of the often misunderstood and frequently caricatured Civil War general and post-war president.

Nonfiction

Overload: Finding the Truth in Today’s Deluge of News by Bob Schieffer

The legendary television broadcaster examines today’s journalism and those who practice it. Based on interviews with over 40 media leaders from television, print media, and the internet, Schieffer surveys the perils and promises of journalism’s rapidly changing landscape.

The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, by Masha Gessen

A brilliant book by the biographer of Vladimir Putin, Gessen follows the lives of four people to chart the path of a Russia from the doorstep of democracy to a virulent autocracy.

The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home, by Denise Kieran

The fascinating true story behind the magnificent Gilded Age mansion Biltmore — the largest, grandest residence ever built in the United States. The story of Biltmore spans world wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton.

Fiction

The Last Ballad

by Wiley Cash

The chronicle of an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill, The Last Ballad is a moving tale of courage in the face of oppression and injustice. Cash tells the story of Ella May Wiggins and brings to life the heartbreak and bravery of the labor movement in 20th century North Carolina, paying tribute to the thousands of heroic women and men who risked their lives to win basic rights for all workers.

Cookbooks

The Farmhouse Chef: Recipes and Stories from My Carolina Farm, by Jamie DeMent

From the owner of Piedmont Restaurant in Durham.

Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food From an American Kitchen, by Kate Button

From the owner of Cúrate in Asheville.

Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner, by Ashley Christensen

From the owner of Poole’s Downtown Diner in Raleigh.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Brinkley Boyd of Weymouth, by Annie Hallinan

From the author of the Sandhills best-selling title The Sweetest Christmas Eve comes this new tale of Brinkley Boyd. A small, quiet mouse, Brinkley enjoys living at the Boyd House at Weymouth. There are rooms to explore, animal friends to make, stories to hear, and adventures to be had. This special edition of Brinkley Boyd also includes a Weymouth Center guided scavenger hunt and special photographs from James and Katharine Boyd’s wedding. Ages 4-9.

The Very Very Very Long Dog, by Julia Patton

Bartelby is a very long and lovable dachshund who lives in a bookstore. He has a lovely set of friends who take him for walks through the city, but he has no idea that his bumbling backside leaves a trail of destruction and accidents behind him. Embarrassed that he has no control over his back end, Bartelby vows to never leave the cozy bookstore again. Can his friends help him find a way to help himself? Ages 3-7.

Top Elf, by Caleb Huett

Ollie and Celia think they know what the life of an elf is supposed to be like: make toys; help Santa; make more toys; help Santa; try out a new icecream flavor; help Santa. However, after 20 years, the current St. Nick is ready to pass the torch to the next Santa who will be chosen in a rather unusual way — a contest! Let the Santa trials and the fun begin. Ages 7-12.

Nyxia, by Scott Reintgen

Nyxia — an amazing substance that can be transformed into a ring, a sword, a life-saving vest, a wall. Nyxia — sought out by the Babel Corporation. Nyxia — the thing that just might transform Emmett Atwater from an underprivileged teen into a millionaire if only he can earn a spot on the team traveling to the planet Eden to extract more Nyxia. Hunger Games meets Enders Game, this first installment of the Nyxia trilogy leaves the reader begging debut author Scott Reintgen to hurry please with book two. Ages 14 and up. PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Talley.

2017 Bookshelf Department