THURSDAY, SEPT. 4 — In the days when I was writing this newsletter from the Schuler store in downtown Grand Rapids, I used to include a weekly list of notable books that had just been released in paperback. I've heard from a few of you that you found that list useful, either to pick up a book you were interested in at a more affordable price, or because it made the title a more viable choice for your reading group. With that in mind, here are a dozen books on my "highly recommended" list that have seen a paperback release since I first wrote about them. Here's what we're reading:
WANT NOT - Jonathan Miles
This is one I've lent out to others and the reaction is always the same; unique, funny, surprising and one of the best novels of last year.
VISITATION STREET - Ivy Pochoda
An eerie and compelling murder mystery, taken to another level by the author's ability to bring Red Hook, Brooklyn to vivid life.
INTUITION PUMPS - Daniel C. Dennett
A report from the cutting edge of neuroscience and computing, Dr. Dennett provides remarkable thought exercises to allow the reader to navigate complex ideas.
DISSIDENT GARDENS - Jonathan Lethem
A family saga unlike any other. Three generations of Rose Zimmer's story, from her days in the 1930s New York communist underground through the folk explosion, civil rights clashes and up to the Occupy movement. A history of us as much as Rose and her family.
NIGHT FILM - Marisha Pessl
A haunting and creepy mystery told largely through web pages, photographs, print articles and legal documents, but still retaining a deeply human connection with the main characters.
THE TILTED WORLD - Tom Franklin, Beth Ann Fennelly
An emotional and exciting love story, set during the devastating Mississippi River flooding of 1927.
THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT - Amy Tan
An epic mother-daughter saga that takes the reader from Shanghai in the early 1900s to the present day United States. 600 pages of pure reading pleasure.
QUIET DELL - Jayne Anne Phillips
A fictional account of a real serial murder case in West Virginia in the 1930s. Ms. Phillips' use of actual photos and documents, along with a touch of magic realism, creates a truly unsettling account.
AMSTERDAM - Russell Shorto
A biography, in a sense, and one as compelling as any I've read about a notable person. The complicated, almost surreal history of the birthplace of liberalism is utterly fascinating.
THE SYSTEM - Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian
A book about the current state of NCAA football with a broad scope and a wealth of deeply researched detail.
THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT IS - Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
One of the most amazing slices of American history in recent memory. The Sioux warrior Red Cloud was, and remains, the only military leader to defeat the U.S. Army on American soil. His story is an important one, deserving the fine re-telling the authors provide.
THE WIND IS NOT A RIVER - Brian Payton
Two exciting stories in one novel. A young husband is trapped on a Japanese-occupied Aleutian Island during World War II and must fight extremely hostile conditions and the enemy to survive. His wife, fearing for his life, joins the USO as a way to head north and learn his fate.
I'm curious, what's your take on hardcover vs. paperback releases? Will you run out to buy a new release in hardcover if it's one you're compelled to read, or do you prefer to wait until it arrives in paperback?
Until next week,
Neil
NeilNeil Rajala is Currently Director of Community & Business Services for Schuler Books, Neil's decade with the company has included the wearing of many different hats - and lots and lots of reading.
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