"I was able to finish Ernest Freeburg's new book this week. It will be a good addition to the history of scientific discovery during the Gilded Age, telling the story of how electric light came to replace the gas light of a previous era. Freeburg gives credit to the capitalistic system in America, as much as to the inventors like Edison, for delivering electricity to the masses. There was a lot of competition among inventors to be the leader in lighting the cities, Thomas Edison being only one of those leaders, but perhaps the one with the best ideas and the best means for delivery.

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, but once I started reading, the author presented his case with such authority and from so many angles of the story, that I was hooked. How the United States led the way in bringing electricity to the masses was a collective effort of inventors and entrepreneurs, and our system of patenting the products and organizing the electricians into a standard code of conduct was as much a part of the story as the genius of the inventors and their inventions. The system facilitated the invention.

Freeburg adds another interesting chapter to the history of scientific discovery and its implementation into the lives of the people."

--Steve Corrigan, Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN

"There is a bookshelf at my house that houses my favorite journalists. Those with the brass to speak truth to power, to battle intolerance, and to do so with facts and good writing as their weapons, not slurs, volume, and innuendo. People like H L Mencken, Ed Murrow, Nat Hentoff, and Christopher Hitchens, to name a few. Dan Savage belongs on that shelf, and American Savage is the proof. He has been fighting the good fight for decades now. He is biased, but he is balanced. If the topics of faith, sex, love, or politics interest you in any way, I would recommend this book."

--Martin Sorenson, Green Apple Books
San Francisco, CA

"There aren't many novels in my life that have had the power to sweep me away and entwine my heart with the characters', but And the Mountains Echoed has definitely done that. It's an epic of love that spans continents and generations, and speaks to the mysterious depths and strengths of the human heart. At the very root of the novel you have siblings torn apart as children, and the story grows outward to the meandering twists and turns their lives take. Hosseini is a masterful storyteller, and has woven a passionate and powerful tale of breathtaking beauty. "

--Amanda Hurley, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"No author brings Afghanistan to life better than Khalid Hosseini. With his latest novel, And the Mountains Echoed, Hosseini weaves interconnected stories of a country that has been involved in military conflicts for decades and how these conflicts effect the everyday lives of people. While reading each chapter, the reader is immersed in fascinating tales of the history of Afghanistan. And the Mountains Echoed is a welcome addition to Hosseini's Afghan titles. You will not want this novel to end!"

--Fred Powell, Main Street Books
Frostburg, MD

"It has been entirely too long since reading a book with the magnitude of And The Mountains Echoed; it is not every day you stumble upon a beauty such as this. With every passing second in which you are not reading Hosseini's newest, the only thing on your mind is...I wish I were reading. Trust me on that.

Hosseini simultaneously shows the beauty and sorrow of love, loss, and companionship. He so perfectly intertwines the lives of his characters and spans the globe for decades. With many different vocal points, you - as a reader - develop such a bond with each and every character. I found this book beautifully depressing (emphasis on beautifully); And The Mountains Echoed paints the most breathtaking portrait of what it means to simply be, the sad and beautiful truth of it all. Every emotion is touched within this novel, you are uplifted and crushed, having faith in humanity restored, then with a few passing pages reminded of our true horrors. The terrible complacency within us all.

Even typing these words, I feel a tightening in my chest and stomach.

That, my friends, is a well written book."

--Elizabeth Skaates, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Asheville, NC

"I approached this book with trepidation, not thinking anything could measure up to his previous two, but I was not disappointed. It's an epic tale covering three generations. It takes the reader from Afghanistan to Paris, San Francisco and the Greek Islands. Such diverse characters all touched by a fable revealed in the first chapter. Another hit for Hosseini and another gift to all avid readers."

--Nancy Salmon, Kepler’s
Menlo Park, CA

"I read this book in one sitting overnight, because the thought of putting it down seemed absolutely impossible, and I couldn't rest until I knew how it ended. Hosseini's latest work is touching, painful, and exquisitely beautiful. It is about an Afghani family scattered across the globe, the lives they touch, and the bonds between them that last forever. Each chapter is a masterpiece in itself. Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, writes with the certainty and delicacy of one who understands the pain every human suffers, but who still remembers that our lives are filled with beauty. I cannot recommend And the Mountains Echoed highly enough."

--Katie, Bookshop Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA

"If there is a better story teller writing in the United States today, I don't know who it is. Like The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini draws you in from the first page until you finish this new novel, his first in six years. This is the story of two young siblings, a boy and a girl, separated permanently early in life. More than simply telling their story, Hosseini gives us other characters from their family and beyond, each of whom shows us something about being human. Like the people in our own lives, Hosseini's characters show love, betrayal, compassion, duplicity, sacrifice, and anger. I think portraying these human dimensions is what is so powerful about this novel and Hosseini's earlier writing. These characters--not all, but most--live lives far removed from our own in culture, place, and language. But we know them anyway. They say that all human beings are 98% identical and only 2% different. Hosseini reminds us of that truth with each of his characters, which is why we can so much relate to all of them. Yes, Hosseini is a great storyteller, but even more significantly, in his writing he develops characters we can believe in, relate to, empathize with, root for and care about. And in this book, these characters are Afghan, Greek, French, and American. It doesn't matter where they are from, we know them all the same."

--Phil Tubbiolo, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"From page one of And The Mountains Echoed the reader knows she is in the company of a master storyteller. My heart ached and leapt and, now, pines for these wonderful characters Khaled Hosseini has given us, once again. Afghanistan and her people come to life in a way that news reports can't provide. Dr. Hosseini reminds us that we are all linked, from nation to nation and generation to generation, and that both love and suffering do, indeed, echo."

--Cheryl McKeon, Book Passage
San Francisco, CA

"This rich and engrossing story starts with a poor family in rural Afghanistan in 1952 and branches out into interconnecting lives in Kabul, Paris, Greece and California before coming back home again. Hosseini's writing craft and storytelling have only gotten better since his previous two novels (The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns). The characters' choices and influence on each others lives, as well as the effect on them of world events, is profoundly moving."

--Sarah Goddin, Quail Ridge Books & Music
Raleigh, NC

"I just finished, And the Mountains Echoes, I really loved it. I like it better than both his other ones, I couldn't put it down. I think it will be a huge hit and we will sell a bunch here at Dolly's."

--Sue Fassett, Dolly's Bookstore
Park City, UT

"Readers have had to wait six years for Khaled Hosseini to write his next novel. Much anticipated, And the Mountains Echoes, will not disappoint. Indeed, I think it is every bit as gripping and poignant as Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. The story begins in Afghanistan in the mid-1940s, with a father telling his son and daughter a cautionary folk tale about the heart-breaking choice a parent has to make to save his family. The next day, the folk tale becomes a reality and sets off a series of events that spread from Kabul to Paris to the Greek island Tinos to San Francisco. Spanning nearly 70 years, the multi-generational story explores themes of family, identity, betrayal, personal responsibility and sacrifice. Like this previous work, a novel hard to put down and one that stays with you long after the final page."

--Linda Young, The Cottage Book Shop
Glen Arbor, MI

"I just finished And the Mountains Echoes by Khaled Hosseini. It is a beautiful book by an incredible writer. I went into this with some angst because I remember the feeling I had when I read Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I didn't know if I could endure that kind of pain again. This one is different. The characters come to us reflective of their culture but not so depleted by the harsh realities of their life. Instead there are relationships that are meaningful and continue to be integrated through the years. Through the years they grow and change within a world that is also changing, sadly not always for the better. We know this part of the world because it is always in our news, but, here we get to know some of the people and what they love. We see them within the context of a family that is forced to make terrible decisions. We see them struggle to remember a past that so critically influenced their lives forever."

--Rita F. Maggio, BookTowne
Manasquan, NJ

"I just finished Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoes. It is a masterwork. I loved every one of the characters. This is storytelling at its best. As Khaled Hosseini brilliantly weaves the lives of each of the diverse characters into a gorgeous quilt, we are transported to a different world, yet we feel a part of each character's experience. I cried in the beginning and again in the end but after I read the last page, I felt so fortunate to have spent several days in Afghanistan, Greece and the Bay Area with these people."

--Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"Hosseini is a masterful storyteller pulling the reader in immediately to magical tales akin to 1001 Arabian Nights. The mysticism and spice of his narrative voice are mesmerizing and I always find myself pleasantly falling into a surprise, a treat and being transported. Never doubt the incredible power of an excellent storyteller."

--Charity McMaster, Schuler Books and Music
Grand Rapids, MI

"A tour de force. Every part of the complex story is fully realized and gorgeously written. I think it's that rare book that will be both phenomenally popular AND loved by critics."

--Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop
Mendocino, CA

"Although it is a dramatic departure from the structure of his first two novels, Hosseini has given us another beautifully written, incredibly poignant work of literature. The story begins on a small note, following a father and his children, who are faced with making desperate choices. As the story grows and develops, it begins to reverberate, as the title suggests, from one part of the earth to another and back again. It is a big story, told in small bits, interweaving lives, relationships, and choices. It is beautiful and touching and yet heart wrenching on so many levels. A must read!!"

--Karen Ford, McLean & Eakin Booksellers
Petoskey, MI

"Hosseini is a superb storyteller who weaves the ordinary lives of an extended Afghan family into a complete tapestry of Afghan history, culture and political intrigue. He writes beautifully of the trials and tribulations of the characters in such a sensitive and intimate way and allows us to experience a personal connection and a deeper understanding of Afghan culture. Very compelling and powerful! This is Hosseini's best and it is a must read!!!"

--Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette Bookstore
Fairhope, AL

"Khaled Hosseini's latest novel is simply exquisite. Spanning decades, continents and generations, And The Mountains Echoed resembles a colorful tapestry, a seamlessly woven tale of sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers, and the unbreakable bonds between them. As only Housseni can, the stories of each character are individually compelling, but interconnected so beautifully that they burst with emotion. The fluid prose that defined his previous novels is even more passionate and thought provoking in this highly anticipated work. I cannot think of another writer or novel that so artfully balances moments of profound loss and sacrifice with such poignant images of beauty and grace."

--Anderson McKean, Page & Palette
Fairhope, AL

"Excellent read...Hosseini is such a great storyteller...I couldn't put the book down."

--Michelle Gersh, Books & Greeting
Northvale, NJ

"The ties, bonds and obligations of love and family are examined beautifully in this novel, mostly revolving around a brother and sister who are separated early in life but are held together in hope ad memory. As the story unfolds, each set of characters encounters familial situations which dictate their lives in similar fashion. Ranging from Afghanistan through Paris and Greece to California, the lives of these disparate characters become a framework encompassing the universal realities of all families."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"The clashing worlds of light and darkness begun in The Watchers escalate in the second volume of the trilogy. The seemingly immortal Jay Harper is pushed deeper into the battle while Katherine Taylor must protect her son, who will soon become the focal point of the struggle. Jon Steele provides all the elements of an entertaining thriller, suspenseful plot, distinctive characters, believable fantasy- and finishes with an excruciating conclusion that will have readers begging for the third volume."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"In this sequel to Angelology which combined myth and biblical lore in the present-day world with the supernatural, art historian Verlaine and Evangeline, a young nun, discover the secret society of angel-human hybrids known as the Nephilim. Now, a decade later, Verlaine has become a certified angelologist, an angel hunter. Now, ten years later, he is in Paris, where one day he sights Evangeline as he walks the city streets. He has kept his love for her, his discovery that she is one of the angel-humans and her strange disappearance a secret from the other angelologists. Now, ten years later she is within his grasp; he, now an angel hunter and she his past love, but an angel-human. What decision will he make? In this riveting supernatural thriller, Trussoni takes the reader from Paris to the palaces of St. Petersburg, to the provinces of Siberia and to the coast of the Black Sea where the truth of Evangeline's origins might be found. The novel is filled with the history of Russia's imperial past and the science of modern genetics. A high-octane tale, but I recommend you must start this series with Angelology and then find more awaiting you."

--Carol Hicks, Bookshelf
Truckee, CA

"I recently finished Alex Grecian's The Black Country and absolutely loved it! Grecian's ability to channel that Dickensian feeling astounds me, but rather than feel world-weary, I was entranced by a mystery I could not solve. I was caught from almost the first sentence and enjoyed every single minute of it. I will be passing this along happily! Thank you for a wonderful read!!!!!!"

--Martha Hamann, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Thanks so much for sending me a copy of The Bookman's Tale. Having just seen The Winter's Tale performed at McCarter Theater in Princeton, I was immediately brought into this engaging tale of a bookman's introduction to rare books and his growing passion for works of art. Being a lover of rare books on the earliest of levels myself (its the love, not the knowledge that binds me) I loved every page of Bookman's Tale. Maybe all booksellers are lovers of rare books, because it's in our genes, but this is a book I will eagerly share with friends and customers, anyone who loves books and a good romance to hold it all together. Having finished this book, I now want to go back to England and rent a small cottage and nestle in with a pile of good books."

--Rita Maggio, BookTowne
Manasquan, NJ

"I haven't been as thrilled by a bibliomystery since John Dunning's Booked to Die.

This is a delicious literary mystery surrounding a book that was the inspiration of A Winter's Tale that had notes written in Shakespeare's own hand which is wrapped up in a touching love story of Peter Byerly, the bookseller who discovers this literary treasure, and his wife Amanda. It has all the anxiety of a taut thriller, and the pull of the antiquarian book world to a book-lover as well as tantalising glimpses into the Elizabethan world of writers and the Victorian world of forgers.

I simply couldn't put this book down. Lovett slowly builds the tension by switching between Byerly's story of meeting his true love at college to his contemporary sleuthing into what becomes a dangerous game of discovering what is perhaps the most significant literary discovery of all time. In between this we have glimpses into history and the background that lead us into the present where forgery, greed and lust combine to conspire to destroy Peter Byerly.

I loved every minute of it of course, as a book-lover can't help but salivate over all this tale of old books that the spell they cast on a bookseller. It is perfect for any book person just as Dunning's wonderful series was like drugs to a junkie so this is as well."

--Micheal Fraser, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Absolutely wonderful! A story for book lovers by a book lover about a book lover! It's less a mystery, as I suspected, and more of an old-fashioned story of a treasure hunt. This time, the treasure is the lost volume proving Shakespeare wrote all his plays. The characters are delightful, and you totally root for them throughout. I enjoyed this one the most during my recovery! I think a lot of our customers would agree. It's less Davinci Code with Shakespeare than Treasure Island with Shakespeare. Delightful!"

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Look, I know. You don't care about Olympic rowers or the Northwest or Nazi Germany. YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK ANYWAY. And if you do like boats, or sports, or history? Well then, you're going to lose your mind over it."

--Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop
Mendocino, CA

"The writing is as good as you said, elegiac at times. The story of these men will appeal to people who loved Unbroken, but there's more of a human interest here. Plus, there's that marvelous writing. The rivers at dawn, the sounds of the oars, it really puts you there. My only problem is the writing may be too descriptive for some people who want the facts, only the facts. And they are definitely out thefre ("No, Team Of Rivals is too long. I'll just read KILLING LINCOLN instead." I have heard this.) But for people who want their non-fiction to be beautifully written-ala Truman Capote, Erik Larson-then I would recommend this one highly."

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"A fascinating telling of the quest of the rowing team from Washington State for the gold metal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Daniel James Brown portrays the team and their coaches with sensitivity and extraordinary detail to give the reader a compelling story of the struggles and achievements of these boys. One boy, Joe Rantz, whose life during those years of the depression was so difficult managed to rise above all of this shortcomings and become a critical player on the team. The sport of rowing is intricately told and is completely engrossing even for the layperson who knows nothing of the sport. A terrific read!"

--Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette Bookstore
Fairhope, AL

"How can I get you to read this book? By telling you that you will fall in love over and over again? That your heart will swell with pride to near bursting? That even though you may have absolutely no interest in crew, or rowing or even athletics, that it doesn't matter because the story transcends all of these pursuits? That the dog doesn't die? (Okay, so there's no dog).

This is the story of how Joe Rantz and 8 other boys came to row competitively for the University of Washington, and how they ended up in the 1936 Olympics competing in front of Hitler and the Nazi Regime. It is a story about becoming a part of something larger than yourself, of sacrificing your inner demons for the good of your community and going so beyond what you ever thought you could accomplish that it lifts up an entire nation.

You will not regret a single moment spent with this remarkable story."

--Pam Cady, University Book Store, Inc.
Seattle, WA

"To be honest I wanted to dislike Boys in the Boat. I have never been really into sports books, and I was especially wary of one about crew. Crew engulfs my entire life, and is a love affair that is hard to fathom and even harder to convey. My experience has been that while many people know what crew is in the general sense, very few have any clue about the subtleties and depth that competitive rowing conceals; the bonds that every boat develops and requires to move swiftly through the water. Those (usually rowers) who do understand these things find them neigh on impossible to communicate to the layman.

So needless to say, I was nervous that this book would only reveal part of the real story about the 1936 Husky 8 that won gold at the Berlin Olympics.

That definitely wasn't the case. The author perfectly captured every aspect of rowing from the physical to the psychological and explained it in beautifully simplistic detail. He strove to accurately convey the subtleties of crew, to such end that those details alone would make an excellent read. However there is more than just boat talk. The human element, the rowers' struggles caused by the depression, and the ominous rumblings that were common occurrences back in those times, were just as engrossing as everything else. And is certainly a large theme to the book. Some of the things those boys went through absolutely boggles the mind!

I couldn't put it down. This book easily made my favorites' list."

--Nolan Shinn, Student, Western A.S. University Bookstore
Bellingham, WA

"Jesse Owens became a legend at the 1936 Olympics but young men from Washington wrote their own remarkable story in Berlin. How a group of students, working their way through school during the Depression, managed to win the eights in rowing can match any Cinderella story in sporting history. This is an exhilarating story, one that celebrates the perseverance of the human spirit, set in a time of strife and lack of hope."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"In the early 1930's, nine young University of Washington students are part of the rowing crew striving to achieve the final pick to become the team to represent the U.S. at the August 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, while Hitler brazenly builds the Third Reich in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. Fiercely determined, from humble origins or having become humbled by the hard times of the Great Depression, the eight oarsmen and their coxswain put their strength and youthfulness to work to show the world how their learned humility becomes the common thread to better their competition. This is an emotional story of that team: at the heart of which is crew member Joe Rentz, the team's coach with an unstoppable vision, and the English boat builder, all of whom put their trust in each other to "sculpt" a victorious team. Using diaries and journals from the boys, photos and newspaper accounts from the time period, and memories from current living relatives, the author chronicles the personal quest of these extraordinary young men in the most impressive biography I have read since Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken."

--Carol Hicks, Bookshelf
Truckee, CA

"From the quiet and humble pages of history, Daniel James Brown has given readers a hugely powerful story from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The underdog eight-man crew team, out of the University of Washington, captures gold and the heart of the nation with their amazing victory - which Brown skillfully juxtaposes against the dark fanfare of the Nazi Reicht. The Boys in the Boat particularly highlights the hardscrabble life of Joe Rantz, the final member selected for the team. We stand firmly in Rantz's corner as he claws through bleak early years growing up in the dust bowl and then later to his earn his spot in the Varsity boat at Washington. A magnificent testimony to the American spirit of the Depression and World War II era."

--Susan Tyler, The Book Bin
Onley, VA

"Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.

The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together-a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.

Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times-the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant. It will appeal to readers of Erik Larson, Timothy Egan, James Bradley, and David Halberstam's The Amateurs."

--Susie Wilmer, Old Firehouse Books
Fort Collins, CO

"Outstanding...it may not match the success of Seabiscuit, but I certainly found it comparable. Brown's technique of focusing on one appealing primary character with several colorful personalities in support carries the story well. The context of the Depression, the rise of Nazi Germany, the lore of rowing, regional and coaching rivalries, and the Olympics themselves, combined to make the story particularly interesting and compelling. Boat-builder George Yeoman Pocock's story and quotations were a pleasure in themselves.

As with Seabiscuit (whose career was contemporaneous), even though one knows the outcome in advance, the results are a thrill in every race. In short: thank-you...I enjoyed the book and will happily tout it."

--Tom Allen, Books Inc.
Berkeley, CA

"Bunker Hill gives a good account of how long Americans have thought their government has imposed itself on their lives, whether they had more freedom than any other peoples in the world or not. It reads quickly and sets up the conflict between the occupying British army, which might have been the strongest in the world, although it hadn't had to prove it for some time, and the patriots who were just as vocal in their quest for freedom from government in their lives from the provinces as from the cities. The clash was inevitable, but still ironic in that the colonists were some of the most free citizens the world has ever know."

--Steve Corrigan, Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN

"The battle of Bunker Hill does not resonate through history like Saratoga for Yorktown but the actual conduct of it and the politics leading up to it were seminal moments in American revolution. Nathaniel Philbrick uses the individuals involved to vividly portray the complexity and chaos that started the colonies on an irrevocable road to open revolt."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"What a masterful account! Philbrick gives us a very detailed and honest account of what really happened before, during, and after the Battle of Bunker Hill.

He brings this story without the usual patriotic brouhaha but he shows all the participants as human beings, sometimes heroic and glorious, sometimes greedy and petty.

Witness how some discontent evolves in a full revolution; witness how George Washington grew to be the General as we know him; witness the dilemma for rebels, loyalists, and British officers alike in those civil-war-like circumstances.

History on his best!"

--Jean-Paul Adriaansen, Water Street Bookstore
Exeter, NH

"The medieval town of Chartres and its majestic early Gothic cathedral are the scenes of the daily life stories of Agnes Morel and a pleiad of different town characters like the distracted professor, the gossiping ladies, and the doubting priest...

Agnes is not talkative as she carries the burden of a troublesome youth. Therefore she is trying to live an unnoticed life; earning a living by cleaning the cathedral and some houses, babysitting, and just being a helping hand. However, unwittingly she has an impact, positive or negative, on those she works for.

The more we get to know the towns people, the more we'll be intrigued by Agnes' past. As the story goes, the tension grows.

Great captivating novel with interesting historical facts. Agnes will affect you too."

--Jean-Paul Adriaansen, Water Street Bookstore
Exeter, NH

"Just finished Rory Carroll's bio on Hugo Chavez and thought it was really well-done. It could be used as a textbook on how a supposed social democrat evolves into a despot. I'm going to try to sell a few copies when it's published by making a staff pick of it. Chavez' re-election happened just after the arc was printed, and I wondered if the finished copy will have a preface which will include some information on it.

I lent my copy to Ivan, who is from Venezuela, and he thought as I do, that it was an excellent piece of journalism. I remember seeing Carroll on a PBS show some time ago. He was interviewing Chavez. He talked about it in the book. It was one of the most bizarre interviews I've ever seen. Chavez never answered his question, but went off on his own tangent, lambasting the western press. I think he could out-talk Castro. It'sd really sad that a country like Venezuela has such an illusionist as its leader. The book is a cautionary tale of how the infrastructure of a country can be ruined, even when that country has vast mineral riches.

The prognosis for what comes after Chavez isn't good because there will be so much left undone after his reign.

George Orwell and Albert Camus would love this book. It shows, once again, that no matter right or left, a dictator is a dictator is a dictator. Whether democrat or demagogue, Chavez is an interesting figure, but his legacy, unfortunately, will be much the same failure as so many Latin American rulers before him.

Thanks for bringing my attention to this book. We don't get many books on Latin America."

--Steve Corrigan, Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN

"This is a terrific return to form, as Adler-Olsen entangles four distinct plotlines, interweaving them into a Swedish 87 Precinct type novel. We have the two cases the cops are working on, the stories of the cops' issues at home and work, and the story of a victim-to-be. All of these, amazingly, work very well together. Some aren't answered, but hopefully we'll get more about Assid and Rose in the next novel. A really exciting book, too. It had me on the edge of my seat for the entire last half, even though the villian's identity is known throughout the book! Not an easy accomplishment."

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen is tweaking his talent, getting better with each of his psychological thrillers. His third, A Conspiracy of Faith, again features Copenhagen's basement level Dept. Q, where the slightly surly Carl Morck and his misfit assistants have been exiled, yet who are an irrepressible team when it comes to unraveling cold cases. Adler-Olsen's crimes are edgy and complicated enough to encourage puzzlement (therefore, interest), he skillfully exposes social and political issues that connect to the old mysteries, and his well-placed and always delightful injections of humor lighten the dark places. He's a sizzler."

--Sally Lott McLellan, Square Books
Oxford, MS

"What a great combination of action, suspense, and humor. Jussi Adler-Olsen is a master in the art of writing police novels. This book is even better than The Keeper of Lost Causes.

An old message in a bottle puts Department Q in full swing. While Carl Morck has to deal with personal issues (ex-wife, friends, and his dream woman Mona), his work at the office gets 'kind-a-complicated.' Assad and a new assistant are overly eager to solve the case and health-inspectors are threatening to close his downstairs offices.

Start reading on a Friday evening, you can't put this one down!"

--Jean-Paul Adriaansen, Water Street Bookstore
Exeter, NH

"Carl and Assad - with alternating help from Rose and her twin sister Yrsa - have their work cut out for them in the latest Department Q novel. Carl comes back to work from helping Harvey move into his house only to find Department Q fighting with Health and Safety to stay in the basement due to asbestos. Assad has been moving all Carl's files and attempting to find connections between them, which leads to a break-through in a string of arson cases that have been going on for more than 10 years. Add to that Rose - and then Yrsa's - obsession with a water-damaged letter in a bottle found in Scotland and sent to Department Q once the few visible words were identified as Danish. When Department Q realizes the kidnapper of the boy who wrote the message in the bottle is still active, another cold case becomes hot, and our dysfunctional team must track down a serial arsonist and a serial kidnapper/killer all at the same time. Adler-Olsen pushed himself in this book, even making it more complex and more layered than the first two books in this amazing series. Once again, he has blown me away!"

--Anne Kimbol, Murder by the Book
Houston, TX

"I thought his first book, The Professionals, was excellent and this new book is even better. Laukkanen is absolutely brilliant describing how Carter's life goes from great to down-the-tubes in a big way. He loses his job but pretends he is still employed and robs a bank. One bank robbery leads to another, he gets a gun, then he gets bigger guns, and he feels enormous power as he is shooting and terrorizing people. It was perfect to have the two characters, FBI agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota Investigator Kirk Stevens, team up again in this book and the tension between the two is palpable. Carla knows it is Carter doing the robberies and Carter knows Carla has figured it out and he becomes even more violent and brazen. Laukkanen is THE new crime writer on the block and his work is phenomenally good!"

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"Criminal Enterprise by Owen Laukkanen is a wonderfully wild ride - just as thrilling as Laukkanen's first book, The Professionals, which I thought was one of last year's best books.

The author brings to life characters and events that are very real, especially in today's world.

I especially like the way he handles the relationship between FBI Agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens as he weaves the story of a seemingly normal man who turns to bank robbery to make ends meet."

--Cheryl Kravetz, Classic Bookshop
Palm Beach, FL

"Owen has done it again. He has a tremendous ability to put so called normal people into criminal situations and build a taut story. Plus, you can see how he is going to continue to develop his main characters. He is a keeper of the first order. We are Owen fans here."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Owen Laukkanen's Criminal Enterprise is a fantastic ride, especially when FBI agent Windermere is stalking the streets of the Twin Cities in her father's Chevelle. Laukkanen's gift is to keep his novel moving with short chapters that are filled with depth and emotion while not wasting time on unneeded information. His characters are well rounded with his main ones of Stevens and Windemere not just being cookie cutter characters from The Professionals. But what he does so well and with such skill is the way he paints with words the portrait of his villain, Carter Tomlin, from a handsome man with everything to the vile monster with nothing left except bitterness and revenge. This man's shocking behavior is the driving force of this book while Windermere and Stevens dance around what they are feeling. Laukkanen has set up a 'couple' that some readers will want to see get together and others will want them to just continue their professional relationship. The question is what will Laukkanen do. I for one cannot wait for the next book in the series."

--Lynn Riehl, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Sue Halpern maintains a wonderful balance between the practical and the philosophical in this exploration of life and death as experienced by a middle-aged woman and dog offering therapeutic visits in a rural nursing home. We learn that dealing with an empty nest is part of her impetus for training as a Certified Dog Therapy Team. We are introduced to the residents in the nursing home - some of whom are recovering from an illness or operation and return home, others whose lives end. These stories are structured along the precepts of the seven classic virtues: restraint, prudence, faith, fortitude, hope, love, and charity. Helpern's deft interpretation and application of those virtues drew me in, challenged me and moved me."

--Liza Bernard, Norwich Bookstore
Norwich, VT

"I'm reading Expecting Better which is fascinating. I like the fact that she uses statistics to help formulate an educated opinion about all the things you are not supposed to do while you are pregnant. I feel like for the past nine months it has been lists of things I cannot do which is frustrating so she makes me feel better about having a diet coke with dinner. I[t] will [be] my staff pick."

--Carley Cianciolo, Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN

"I just finished The Fever Tree, and it is fabulous. [McVeigh] paints a graphic picture of the brutal life in the diamond mines and weaves a poignant romance of the period. It was easy to get lost in time, and that was the pleasure of the story."

--Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette Bookstore
Fairhope, AL

"COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

Taking readers on an epic journey from high society Victorian England to the harsh landscapes of South Africa, debut author Jennifer McVeigh vividly portrays the brutal conditions of the diamond trade and the ruthless Englishmen attempting to dominate, exploit and profit, despite the cost to health and humanity. Through her compelling protagonist Frances Irvine, McVeigh expertly reveals the struggle between idealism and romance; ambition and greed; and most poignantly, truth and redemption. The Fever Tree is an expertly researched, impeccably told novel of love, betrayal, sacrifice and self discovery that is impossible to forget."

--Anderson McKean, Page & Palette
Fairhope, AL

"McVeigh debuts with a big book, not necessarily in length but in scope. This is one of those sweeping sagas that couples love and the quest for truth with complex and at times tormented characters, and sets the story in a fascinating time period and place. The forced decision of one woman in Victorian London to marry a doctor and travel to South Africa propels everything that follows. There are the morals of the times, the lack of options for women, and the power of class. There is also the ruthlessness of the diamond trade, the real fear of smallpox, and the love of a seemingly unlovable terrain in South Africa. In the end, The Fever Tree is a good old-fashioned love story filled with passion and hopes for redemption. But in fact, given the writing and the setting, it's so much more, and that makes it delicious."

--Rona Brinlee, The Bookmark
Neptune Beach, FL

"Following the death of her father, 19-year-old Frances Irvine finds herself removed from her sheltered Victorian home and forced to emigrate to South Africa and make a new life as the bride of a relative stranger. Naive and sheltered during her young years, Frances encounters the hostile beauty of late 19th century South Africa, the injustices of the cruel colonial greed surrounding the country's diamond rush at the Kimberley mines, the exploitation of African workers, and the struggle of medical volunteers to quell a possible smallpox epidemic. This is a story of love and betrayal which vividly describes a young woman's grit to survive the unforgiving vast ocher dust-colored plains of darkness. You will find this a gripping story from beginning to end."

--Carol Hicks, Bookshelf
Truckee, CA

"The Fever Tree, however, will be an easy sell. This one, although not especially 'literary', is a page turner of the likes I haven't seen since the 80s. One part The Painted Veil, one part Gone With The Wind, one part The Flame Trees Of Thika, and a bit of Far Pavilions thrown in for good measure, this was one fun book. This is what I used to call a pot-boiler, the kind of book we rarely see in America now, but man was it a great ride. The characters are interesting (even though we KNOW who will end up with whom and who is a rapscallion), and the African country is so vivid in the descriptions, you feel as though you are there. This could be a good book for our book of the month-an unknown author, a great read, and a kind of bestseller want to be."

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Following her father's death in 1878, Frances Irvine finds herself on a ship to South Africa, on her way to an arranged marriage which she dreads. On the ship she meets charismatic William Westbrook, the perfect foil to her dry, unemotional fiance, and falls deeply in love.

Frances is young, naive and pampered and while she regards herself as resourceful and perhaps superior, the reader is slowly disabused of this notion as Frances' level of self-awareness burgeons. Her husband is a doctor and an advocate for the native Africans who are being ruthlessly exploited by Europeans caught up in the diamond mining craze in Kimberley. The history is fascinating and the prose is graceful and evocative. "

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"I JUST FINISHED THE FEVER TREE AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE. Amy Einhorn has definitely another home run and cheers to her!!

--Diane Garrett, Diane's Books of Greenwich
Greenwich, CT

"In 1895 Vienna, 29-year-old Minna Bernays is a well educated woman with limited options, employed as a lady's companion. Known for speaking her mind, she finds herself released from her job by her mistress, out on the street without any source of income. Desperate, she turns to Martha, her older sister and wife of Sigmund Freud. Although a member of the family, she becomes the caregiver to the Freud's six unruly young children and sympathizer to her sister, who's burdened with physical ailments and insists on running her household with strict precision while also abiding with Sigmund's disinterest, absence, and overworked ethic to his medical profession. Minna becomes fascinated with Sigmund's work, and while she is everything Martha is not, she is drawn in to what is first an intellectual attraction that soon becomes deeper with romantic feelings surfacing that she is unable to set aside. The novel is based on the true-life love affair between Freud and his sister-in-law; a fascinating story about this renowned psychotherapist caught in a problematic marriage, himself insecure yet passionate. It's impossible to pass up this novel which I recommend as a book club choice."

--Carol Hicks, Bookshelf
Truckee, CA

"I liked the whole logic-vs.-religion world-building, especially in combination with the idea that the gods are real. It was also full of interesting characters and some really fantastic action. It was a little sci-fi, a little urban fantasy, and a little thriller all rolled up into one engaging package."

--Billie Bloebaum, Powells PDX
Portland, OR

"A reader knows when they're in the presence of something special, brilliant. It's a voice familiar, kind. A plot careful, unraveling. A set of characters whose hearts pound between the boards. Taiye Selasi delivers a powerful debut about family, race and the nature of story in this contemporary novel, set against neighborhoods from Brookline, MA to Lagos, Nigeria. A literary descendant of Zadie Smith and Arundhati Roy, Selasi is a new force in the global community of readers."

--Nicole Magistro, The Bookworm of Edwards
Edwards, CO

"Kweku, the patriarch of Taiye Selasi's debut novel Ghana Must Go, dies, barefoot, in the opening sentence. Take a deep breath, because reader, you are in for an intense and amazing journey.

Kweku, a considerate husband, brilliant surgeon, citizen of Ghana. Dead. Beginning with his end, Selasi weaves a brilliant tale. There is the first wife and children abandoned in America years before. A career derailed. His mother and siblings left behind in the small village. Ghana Must Go achieves what the best novels do, bringing to incredible life and depth this intriguing family. As his first family learns of Kweku's death and gathers to go to Africa for the funeral, we learn why they have been estranged, angry and very troubled. Fola, Olu, Kehinde, Taiwo and Sadie, Mother and children, each so vivid that they live in your head while the novel unfolds and remain there afterwards. Selasi's extra gift to the reader is the way in which her characters embody her deep, nuanced insider's view of Ghanaian and Nigerian people and politics. All the elements add up to sheer genius."

--Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"There are family stories and there are family stories.

In Ghana Must Go, Taiye Selasi makes of an exceptional family a most compelling, exceptional, absolutely amazing novel. Trying to describe this book almost reduces it. I haven't read anything so psychologically astute, insightful, or dead-on heart-true in an eon - what happens between a husband and wife over time, between parents and children, between siblings - at different ages, at different stages: the pacts, secrets, betrayals, inheritances, rejections, aspirations, expectations, mysteries and revelations that make for family life, that make for any life. Add in all the arrivals and departures - Accra, Lagos, Boston, Baltimore, back and forth, forth and back, wherever else this book's echoing rhythms and passages take it - and you have a singular story of the world today, quick, slow, at once vast, epic, global, and yet incredibly intimate, in-this-very-house close. Woven through - seamlessly, beautifully, at times breathtakingly - is a charged, lyrical language that carries the great weight of this story, and does so with grace, assurance, and a deft light touch. All praise and amen are about all that can be said to close this - one could go on. But one should open the pages and go on - there, the pages of what Taiye Selasi has so marvelously created."

--Rick Simonson, Elliott Bay Book Company
Seattle, WA

"Sophie LeFevre's husband was sent off to fight in World War I, leaving her with only a portrait he'd painted of her, a portrait that drew the eye of the Kommandant. 90 years later, that portrait, titled The Girl You Left Behind, hangs in Liv Halston's house, a wedding gift from her late husband. When descendants of the artist claim ownership of the painting and demand restitution, Liv's life becomes a battle, both legal and emotional, as she fights to keep Sophie's portrait and find out everything she can about Sophie herself and what happened to her, feeling somehow as though it can help Liv figure out where her own life is going. This book is just as character-driven as Me Before You, with an interesting historical focus."

--Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"Reading Give and Take is a mind-opening process as Adam Grant takes the conventional wisdom and turns it on its head to prove that people with honesty and integrity who believe in a 'pay it forward' system are some of the most successful Americans and that 'greed is good', only-out-for-themselves takers lose out over the long run."

--Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"A man's chest sprouts functional drawers, his bone mimicking the flesh cavity in which his wife carries their unborn daughter. A young girl has delusions that her newborn is an animal. Two parents contemplate giving their autistic daughter a hysterectomy to spare her from womanhood.

The stories in Ramona Ausubel's sophomore work are fantastic without sacrificing honesty, sentimental without seeming maudlin. This is a terrific collection from a surefooted talent."

--Kelly Pickerill, Lemuria Bookstore
Jackson, MS

"The stories in this collection are weighty, original, surprising, and beautifully crafted, right down to each sentence. A group of Grandmothers find themselves mysteriously at sea. A young couple studies the lives of their neighbors through lit windows with an anthropological curiosity. A widowed professor attends a decidedly odd academic event. Exploring love, abandonment, parenthood, life, and death through the surreal and fantastic, Ramona Ausubel is an author surely to fall in the ranks along with George Saunders and Aimee Bender. Told with both great imagination and heart, if you haven't experienced Ausubel's brilliant writing, this is the place to start!"

--Alise Hamilton, HugoBookstores
Andover, MA

"Vaara has a fierce tenderness for his daughter and wife, a kind of atavistic loyalty toward family and friends, but he's a tough son of a gun. As the book opens, we are looking at the aftermath of his previous adventure. He is severely wounded: one leg nearly useless, his jaw ruined and he's in excruciating pain. To make matters worse, his wife has left him, and now he's getting some serious backlash from his last case. Unrelentingly intense."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Not entirely sure what to expect upon beginning The House at the End of Hope Street, I found myself agreeably charmed and completely drawn in to the story of this young woman named Alba. Venturing down the end of a street to where a 200 yr. old house sits, she begins to hear singing coming from the house and decides to approach. The opening of the door sends her into a magical world, the likes of which I haven't read since Alice In Wonderland; only it isn't Alice In Wonderland. What exactly is it? It's as if it were one part Hans Christian Andersen and the other Agatha Christie, with a sprinkling of fairy dust from Tinkerbell, and Alba being Cinderella! Captured your curiosity yet? Add to that the books that come to life, as if they were characters, and the ghosts of Virginia Wolfe, Daphne duMaurier and Florence Nightingale being the characters who most often provide the helpful advice.

And yet far from being just an adult fairy tale, Menna Van Praag brings out such human feelings as love, yearning, compassion, and forgiveness. She tells Alba's story in such a way that you can just naturally suspend disbelief and get lost in the world in the house at the end of Hope Street! I definitely did!"

--Linda Grana, Diesel Bookstore
Oakland, CA

"As in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Hamid ingenuously uses the 2nd person to bring you straight into the characters' lives. This is the story of a boy, born poor, who wants more. His road to wealth and love is messy, morally ambiguous and long. This is a carefully, intelligently, appealingly written story of universal truths. Do seek out interviews with Hamid, he is fascinating and learning his thought processes made me appreciate his writing even more."

--Rene Martin, Quail Ridge Books & Music
Raleigh, NC

"How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a reader's delight. Hamid is a master of storytelling and narrative construction. Like a life lived, the novel goes by with astonishing rapidity, but unlike a live lived, the reader can pick up it up and read it again with even more pleasure."

--Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Books
San Francisco, CA

"Written exceptionally well and uncommonly in the second person, commanding an intimate perspective which helps the reader imagine life in modern, urban Pakistan. The ending had me both laughing and crying. Scenes and characters resonate months after finishing the book. It's on my to-be-read-twice list!"

--Alsace Walentine, Malaprops
Asheville, NC

"A slick, fast-paced novel that breaks the bounds of literary convention while immersing readers in the life of a poor young man trying to make his fortune. The characters and places remain nameless, which allows them to represent 'Anywhere, Asia' -- and yet somehow we come to know them deeply and believe in their specific reality. ...In the end, this How To book is less about individual actions and more about the inexorable power and energy of Rising Asia. As in his previous novels, Hamid's writing is taut and beautifully crafted. I was swept away from page one."

--Caitlin Caulfield, The Odyssey Bookshop
South Hadley, MA

"Told in the form of a self-help business manual, Hamid's sometimes sharp edged but often beautiful third novel follows the life of an unnamed protagonist in a third world Asian nation. ... While initially Hamid's novel reminded me of The White Tiger, with its light parodying of the Asian entrepreneurial spirit, the more I read, ... the more contemplative than satirical it seemed, and the more I began to compare the novel to Love in the Time of Cholera. I know that's a bit of a leap, but it's what came to mind, and I'm sticking to it."

--Daniel Goldin, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"Brilliant ... What Hamid has produced could be the story of 12 different men, or a single person, in some unnamed Asian country ... devoid of proper names for people and places-a country with no religion other than the worship of money, and love. It's a very haunting and compelling narration made all the more intense by a personal and accusative voice in the second person."

--Darwin Ellis, Books on the Common
Ridgefield, CT

"Mohsin Hamid's brilliant new book is a caustic cautionary tale that wickedly, subtly, artfully, and in the end, quite poignantly plays on the idea of 'self-help' to remind us that all endeavor is human endeavor, and deeply so. A beautiful and brave book."

--Rick Simonson, Elliott Bay Book Company
Seattle, WA

"The year is 1938 and the setting is a glamorous seaside resort town for wealthy New Yorkers to 'summer'. The Great Depression and Prohibition are recent memories and World War Two is lurking on the horizon. Add four old friends - lovers and lifelong rivals, family and societal tensions and you have quite a story! A Hundred Summers will be the beach read that everyone is talking about this summer. This book was the best page-turner that I've found all year, and one that I greatly look forward to recommending for those looking for the perfect summer reading."

--Avery Dickey, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"The Husband's Secret is simply delicious. Told through the alternating voices of three intriguing women, this thoroughly engrossing novel by Liane Moriarty reveals the flaws beneath what we perceive to be the perfect mother, family and marriage. Readers will laugh out loud at the glimpses of raw honesty and surprising humility, as each character struggles to embrace a secret - one that upends each of their lives. Moriarty exposes the thoughts and emotions of Tess, Rachel and Cecelia with such authenticity, you feel as though she has tapped into your inner dialogue; conveying those fleeting observations you hoped no one heard. Like her previous novels, The Husband's Secret harmoniously balances moments of self-effacing humor with heartbreaking truths. If that weren't enough, Moriarty's latest gem offers unexpected twists along the way, catching you off guard then compelling you forward, even as you wistfully turn the final page."

--Anderson McKean, Page & Palette
Fairhope, AL

"A fun, fast-paced (almost too fast-paced sometimes) story that reminded me a lot of the old movie Scanners. Only, coercion is used instead of violence. The disjointed narrative comes together nicely, and I enjoyed this book much more than Jennifer Government. It never became that astonishing novel, maybe because of the rushed end, but it sure made for a fun read, and sometimes, that's what we need!"

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Max Barry has always been one of my favorite writers, but with Lexicon he has catapulted to all new heights. A secret society operating behind the scenes controls people all over the world using persuasion words that can kill and manipulate. Wil Parke wakes up in airport with two guys interrogating him. The questions seem pointless, the situation seems bizarre, but Wil can't convince them that he has no idea what they want or need. Then the story explodes with action, with Wil is being attacked from all sides. At the same time, we learn about Emily Ruff, who is training to be a persuader in this secret society. She does the forbidden and falls in love, and that is when everything hits the fan. The clever use of flashbacks and the alternating point of view (between Emily and Wil) make this one hair-raising adrenaline rush."

--Jason Kennedy, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"Finally, finally--a dystopian future in which the high verbal SAT score people take power instead of the computer science/math geeks!! Be still, my heart! The manipulation of politicians and power-brokers begins with words, and the shadowy organization known as 'the poets' are the best at wielding them. When a poet falls in love and goes rogue, teams are deployed to 'persuade' her to return; what follows is a smart, fast-paced thriller. So fun!"

--Susan Taylor, The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
Albany, NY

"Emily, a runaway teenager, although extremely smart, is living off the street when she gets an offer she can't resist. She's now a student in a very particular school, specialized in the power of words. Using primeval sounds within the right words gives full control over a person's mind. Those who master this knowledge are called poets. Those poets never show their feelings, but rebellious Emily makes a big mistake and falls in love ... and then all hell breaks loose.

Masterly written thriller - mysterious till the end."

--Jean-Paul Adriaansen, Water Street Bookstore
Exeter, NH

"Secret Societies. Aboriginal artifacts. Linguistics. Grift artist Emily is recruited by the Poets for their elite school where she will learn the art of persuasion. But not the garden variety of persuasion. The Poets teach the linguistic keys for every personality. Words that will lay the listener's mind bare to every kind of manipulation. Most of the Poets practice consummate self-control--of themselves and their power--but some of them are seeking the master key. A word that will work on any mind, anytime, anywhere. Emily quickly finds herself caught between the rival factions of Poets, racing to find the key--and the one man immune to it--before anyone else. Lexicon is that rare thriller that is both ridiculously thought-provoking and relentlessly heart-racing."

--Kim Fox, Schuler Books and Music
Walker, MI

"This sensationally imaginative thriller presents the absolute certainty of ironic failure for any who would praise it. It is a hopeless task to successfully convey the quality of a book whose protagonists have mastered the ability to use language to coerce others. A worthy communication would, after all, literally force readers to read the book, not simply encourage them to do so. Here we have a book that is too good for its own good."

--Kenny Brechner, Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers
Farmington, ME

"Max Barry's new Lexicon is a love letter to language, a finely-tuned thriller, and a secret-society conspiracy, all rolled up into one. With unique perspectives, hurtling adventure, and characters you can't help but be invested in--even when they're pitted against each other--Lexicon is the triumph of Barry's career."

--Drew Williams, Little Professor Book Center
Homewood, AL

"I finished Looking for Me…..I loved it, thanks so much for sending it!"

--Deborah Coburn, Ingram
Nashville, TN

"Teddi Overman knows from the age of 10 that she wants to work with furniture, but her journey from a farm near Kentucky’s Red River Gorge to proprietor of a tony Charleston antique shop is quite a trip. Looking For Me, told with Beth Hoffman’s trademark blend of compassion and optimism, will touch any reader who has ever followed a dream, disappointed a parent, or said a final goodbye to their childhood home."

--Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"5 stars plus! You will not be able to put this down and I did not want it to ever end. Teddi Overman is a fabulous main character -- she is caring, funny, smart, and lives with the heartbreak of her missing brother, but she is a whiz at dealing with antiques in Charleston, S.C. The writing is lovely and the story of the KY Wilderness area near where she and her brother, Josh, grew up, is beautiful and full of touching stories of the wildlife, especially Red Tailed Hawks. What Teddi does with her family's farm, how lovingly she cares for her Grammy, how she finds a soulmate for herself, and what she ultimately learns about her brother will tug at your heartstrings and make you cheer and clap for Teddi. I loved this story -- it is truly delightful, heartwarming, and just brilliant."

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"I loved Hoffman's first novel, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and have been eagerly awaiting her second. Looking for Me lived up to all of my expectations and more. This novel is filled with uniquely flawed characters and set against both the genteel Southern charm of Charleston and the wilderness of rural Kentucky. Teddi Overman grew up exploring the wilderness surrounding her family's farm with her little brother Sam. She longed to make something of her talents at restoring antique furniture, so left home as a teenager and has made a success of herself in Charleston. The novel is set largely in Teddi's present day life, where she is still coming to terms with the unsolved disappearance of her brother. Filled with heart, gorgeous imagery and a wistfulness for simpler times, I enjoyed every page of this book."

--Avery Dickey, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"Teddi's mother wants her to go to secretarial school while Teddi wants to pursue her love of restoring old furniture. She moves to Charleston to chase her dream and meanwhile her brother goes missing. Torn between fearing her brother is dead and holding on to the hope he's still alive, Teddi works to build a life for herself. Take this book to the beach with you this summer, but don't expect to put it down until you've turned the last page."

--Beth Hoffman, The Country Bookshop
Southern Pines, NC

"Looking for Me is the compelling read of a woman's lifelong search for her missing brother and, until that mystery is solved, for herself without him. Infused with southern gentility, haunting reminders of Josh's disappearance and an 'October' romance combine to guarantee that author Beth Hoffman will add to her legion of fans gathered from her first book (Saving CeeCee Honeycutt). Looking for Me is highly recommended for readers seeking something akin to Fannie Flagg, Adriana Trigiana, and Billie Letts."

--Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault
Oskaloosa, IA

"Told in first-person, and bouncing back and forth through time, Looking for Me tells the story of Teddi Overman, a talented furniture restorer and owner of an antique shop in South Carolina. Born on a farm in Kentucky, readers are introduced to the Overman family: Teddi, a girl whose love for antique furniture leads her on a road of self-discovery; Henry, Teddi's silent and wonderful father; her perpetually disappointed mother Franny; and her brother Josh whose affinity with nature, in particular rare birds of prey, provides readers with a heartbreaking mystery. This is a deceptively complex story that is beyond readable. It is enchanting, loveable, beautiful, and full of depths that one would not expect from a novel that might appear lighter in content than some. Looking for Me is one of those books you pick up and literally do not put down, not because of suspense or turmoil, but because it is so well-written, and the characters so believable and rich, that it mesmerizes with the first paragraph. A fantastic second novel from Beth Hoffman."

--Heather Christman, Warwick's
La Jolla, CA

"Move over, Kinsey Milhone. There's a new take-no-prisoners PI in town, Fina Ludlow. As the family black sheep, Fina faces particularly difficult challenges getting members of her high-powered family to open up while investigating her missing sister-in-law's disappearance. Fina's going to need all her knife-sharp wits to crack this case. Boston just may have a worthy successor to Robert Parker's Spenser."

--Rosemary Pugliese, Quail Ridge Books & Music
Raleigh, NC

"Ingrid Thoft's Loyalty is a well-paced romp through a junk food eating binge occasionally interrupted by a murder investigation. Fina is my hero - she figures out where the bad guys are, lays them out cold in a wrestling match, then drinks a victorious diet soda over their inert body... my kind of Private Investigator. I really enjoyed meeting her and look forward to her future investigations!"

--Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC

"Wow! Fina Ludlow is one cool, new heroine who is tough as nails. A PI for her family firm of prestigious, high-powered personal injury attorneys, Fina has to make decisions that could make her even more of a black sheep than she already is. Sassy, smart and hard hitting -- what more could you ask for in a great new PI novel? "

--Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"I am happy to report there is a new female detective series starting in the tradition of V.I. Warshawski, Carlotta Carlyle, Sharon McCone, and others. In Ingrid Thoft's debut, Loyalty, we are introduced to Fina Ludlow and her family.

Fina's part of a dysfunctional family of lawyers but she has always been the black sheep of the family. She abandoned law school and her father now has her working in the family's firm as an investigator. When her sister-in-law disappears, she's appointed by the family to find out what's happened. It's quite a ride getting to know Fina's family and following all the twists in the case.

I liked the character and look forward to more in this new series."

--Adele, Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Seattle, WA

"In Mary Coin, Marisa Silver has created two unforgettable heroines who will long linger in the mind and heart of the reader. Based on a famous Depression-era photo, Mary Coin tells the story of Mary, a feisty, itinerant California farm worker with seven children, and Vera, also a remarkable woman of strength, facing physical and personal challenges of her own. Silver weaves Mary and Vera's stories together with pristine prose and crisp character development to create what will surely be a winner for readers in 2013. Book clubs will savor Mary Coin!"

--Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault
Oskaloosa, IA

"This is an assuredly crafted novel of two very singular lives colliding and intertwining in ways unsuspected by their own protagonists: Vera/Dorothea Lange and Mary Coin/the migrant mother. Such as in the process of photography, we are led in precise steps and yet unpredictable segues to the culminating moment of these two women meeting ever so briefly. Silver builds the narrative with great evocative effect and sets in motion multiple worlds of events and people, harnessing and developing the essence of each encounter into an ever richer fabric. The fleeting connection between Dorothea and Mary will stand timeless in this country's history in a single iconic picture. Although the two never meet again, their paths crossing also marks the pivotal moment when each of them act on one decision that will have lasting consequences on their existence. That is how their stories will ricochet for a long time beyond the famed photograph.

This is an absorbing and rewarding retelling of a cultural episode that we have taken too much for granted. Silver rehumanizes these characters and provides us with the necessary imagination one must have to be compassionate."

--Marie du Vaure, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, CA

"The author of several novels (including the wonderful The God of War) and a book of short stories, Marisa Silver has become a master prose craftsman. Based on the photographer Dorothea Lange and her iconic photograph of Florence Owen Thompson, Mary Coin is a moving meditation on the nature of photography, truth, the shifting experience of time and identity, and the powerful mystery of human relationship and history. The story is gracefully, sensitively, even elegantly told, with the careful composition of a painting, or a photograph. It is a powerfully emotional book profoundly delving into the Depression, polio, love, loss, and dislocation, as well as being an immensely satisfying novel. I can't think of a person who wouldn't both thoroughly enjoy and be lastingly changed by this book, and that's saying something."

--John Evans, Diesel, A Bookstore
Oakland & Los Angeles, CA

"I finished Mary Coin last night and must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has really resonated with me, as I have been thinking about it all day. I loved Mary and Vera's incredible strength and determination and how their brief encounter impacted both their lives in different ways Marisa also did a beautiful job, of deftly intertwining Mary and Vera's stories and then connecting it with Walker at the end--I think it will be a hit and great for book clubs"

--Patty Gibson, Pages: a Bookstore
Manhattan Beach, CA

"I devoured it. Now I know I'm hardly an impartial observer, but I dare say it's terrific. It has sections of incredible beauty - far beyond anything she's yet written, I think, which is saying something, as her previous reviews will tell you - and is sneaky wise. Sneaky because it seems, in the early going, like it might just be kind of thrill package, a provocation of sorts. But it grows into something far more sophisticated. It provides the wisdom of age & experience, which is hard to do. I'm going to insist on my word choice there: it doesn't just portray or mimic or gesture at the wisdom of experience; it provides it. I recommend it highly."

--Adam Schnitzer, The Perseus Books Group
La Honda, CA

"PI Helen Walsh is struggling with depression, exacerbated by the plummeting Irish economy, which has caused her to lose her flat and plunged her into debt. When she is offered the job of finding a member of a defunct boy-band who has dropped off the map just before their reunion concert, she accepts only reluctantly and mostly because she is so devastatingly broke.

I found this book utterly charming. It's funny and touching, the characters are unique, believable and intriguing, and the story is full of hope without ever straying into the maudlin. Keyes is a true shanachie!"

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Fans of Marian Keyes will rejoice that she has returned to describing the perpetual drama of the Walshes, a highly dysfunctional but very lovable--from afar--Irish family. Helen Walsh is the youngest of five daughters, a private investigator who battles depression while trying to solve a case involving the disappearance of a member of a 90s boy band.

Keyes' portrayal of Helen's determination to hide her struggle with mental illness from her clients, her family, and her boyfriend is very moving. As always, Keyes' manages to find humor in the darkest situations while at the same time educating readers about a serious issue. I loved The Mystery of Mercy Close, and wish there was a sixth Walsh daughter so we could spend more time with the Walshes in the future. Perhaps an unknown half-sister will emerge?"

--Linda Barrett Knopp, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Asheville, NC

"This will make a great beach book because it is so creepy you'll want to read it in full sunlight and somewhere where you can see everyone coming. Be warned that this addictive read is not for the faint of heart!"

--Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"Clear your calendar! Grab your favorite snacks and drink, find a quiet place, and hunker down. You're going to be completely immersed in The Never List after the first paragraph--and you probably won't come up for air until you finish the last page.

Koethi Zan's debut into the world of thriller/mystery fiction is a doozy! Beginning with the kidnapping of two college girls (one, Sarah, is the narrator of this tale) and captivity in a cellar with two other victims by one of the most despicable men (Jack) in today's fiction. This villain collects young girls, purely for his 'study' of them as they are tortured and abused.

Set in the present day, The Never List chronicles Sarah's attempt to locate Jennifer who disappeared shortly after their abduction. The cast of characters grows and the plot thickens as she uncovers more gruesome information and learns of more females that have disappeared. Why was Jack, a renowned professor of psychology, incarcerating these young women? Did he have accomplices? Zan keeps the narrative lively with terse dialog, top-notch character development, an occasional red herring, and edge-of-your-seat confrontations. This engrossing book has Hollywood movie written all over it. Treat yourself to a thrilling experience: read this book!"

--Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault
Oskaloosa, IA

"Well, I was up most of last night reading The Never List by Koethi Zan, and it is quite the nail-biter. It was very difficult to put it down and try to sleep!

Koethi takes what could have been a pulp novel - let's face it, this book encompasses white slavery and BDSM among other sordid topics - and she rises above the trashy. It's never exploitative or gratuitous, despite the subject matter. Also, like Steig Larrson and Gillian Flynn, she takes pulpy mystery tropes and rises above them with clever plotting, a good grasp on human psychology, and an astuteness at characterization that leaves most mystery writers in her wake. The psychologically damaged heroine of the piece must confront not only the demons of her past, but the flaws and demons within herself. This is pretty dark stuff, but it could still be marketed toward the average mystery reader, as it never reaches the heights it could have. It's fairly restrained in the way she describes truly horrific and salacious events. The back of the book compares her to Karin Slaughter and CJ Watson, but I'd say she was better than either of them. Quite a good, VERY fast read."

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Two young teens, traumatized by a car accident that left them in the ICU and the mother who was driving dead, vow to lead the safest lives imaginable, so when Sarah and Jennifer slide into the car service vehicle they called to take them home from a college party, they are shocked to realize they are being abducted. Thirteen years later, Sarah is still fighting the effects of being tortured and held prisoner in a cellar for over three years, and Jennifer is dead. When their captor comes up for parole review, Sarah decides to fight back; she also decides to investigate to see if she can find Jennifer's body in order to put her own trauma to rest. One thing leads to another, and holy smokes--what an exciting ride! Keep the lights on."

--Susan Taylor, Market Block Books
Troy, NY

"Doc Ford has become an institution in the world of crime fiction but Randy Wayne White continues to find ways to grow his character and maintain an edge in the series. In the latest installment he deftly combines a search for missing World War II bombers and illegal fishing tactics that Doc exposes, creating new enemies. New characters are entering the scene, including a suave, Brazilian hit man, and readers can only hope they will return in the next novel."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"Today it seems we hear the word all too often: prodigy. Well, make no mistake, Brandon Baltzley is the real deal. Raised in the deep south, it was in his single mother's modest restaurant kitchen in the back of a local gay bar that Baltzley got his start. At just nine years of age, he already showed serious talent and extraordinary imagination. By twenty, he was working in the kitchens of culinary giants like Paula Deen and Grant Achatz. Then, at twenty-six, he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: leading the kitchen of the nation's hottest new restaurant...but he walked away. You see, it wasn't just success and talent that found Baltzey at a young age, it was also drugs and alcohol--and their influence upon him was greater than any fame or fortune. Addiction has plagued the chef his entire life, and in his memoir, Baltlzey lets bare every personal detail of his struggle. The book of course remains unfinished, as Baltzley is currently undergoing treatment for his dependence. Such an extraordinary and inspiring, but especially heartbreaking story deserves a happy ending, and I hope Chef Baltzley can dig deep and earn it for himself. I will be rooting for him!"

--Nick Berg, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"I read an ARC of The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell last week and loved it.

I was reading in the same room where my husband was working and I kept interrupting him with squeals of excitement... 'Ooh! They're going to a speakeasy! That's so exciting!' and 'Oh, she's drinking absinthe! I wish I could drink absinthe!'

(Although, I think that technically the absinthe/champagne cocktail wasn't invented until the 30s, but oh well.)

The novel perfectly evoked the spirit of the 1920s and I was completely blown away by the twist at the end.

I'll be putting this book on my Staff Picks when it arrives."

--Heather Elia, Colgate Bookstore
Hamilton, NY

"What a riveting read! Set in New York City during Prohibition, The Other Typist tells the fascinating tale of Rose Baker, a highly principled, yet impressionable woman trying to find her way in uncertain times. Through the voice of this unreliable narrator, author Suzanne Rindell skillfully depicts the orderly world of a police precinct typist, and the alluring underworld of speakeasies, bootlegging and bathtub gin. Full of unexpected twists, this stunning debut is the best kind of book; it creeps into your thoughts, beckoning you to steal away and read late into the night."

--Anderson McKean, Page & Palette
Fairhope, AL

"This is the captivating story of prudish Rose and enchanting Odalie. Typists for the New York City Police Department in the early 1920s, their veracity and intentions are suspect. Their murky relationship and questionable motives as well as exactly what transpires as the novel unfolds to it's unsettling conclusion, will have readers turning pages long into the night. Told with lively wit, narrated by the unreliable Rose, this entertaining and startling novel is great fun."

--Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore
Providence, RI

"I was enjoying the story of a young woman who was a typist in a New York City police precinct in the 1920's. It was clear from the outset that she was an unreliable narrator and that she was 'disturbed' or at least her 'routine' was disrupted by the arrival of a new typist. It was when I got to page 82, and she apologized for telling the story out of order, reminding herself that 'the doctor Iam seeing' tells me I should keep things in chronological order that my eyes opened wider and my focus sharpened. From here, the downward slide was inevitable. The trajectory and ultimate landing were impossible to imagine or fathom. What a ride!"

--Rona Brinlee, The Bookmark
Neptune Beach, FL

"Rose--proficient, steady and old-fashioned--is silent witness to the horrible facts of criminals' confessions but maintains her place outside of the depravity. Yet when a woman who epitomizes the new age of the female sexy starts work in her office, she permeates Rose's imagination pulling her into an underbelly she had thus far only recorded. Rindell exquisitely unfolds Rose's new identity with mastery, having a keen sense of lurking, untapped resources. Part Fitzgerald and part Gillman, The Other Typist wheedles a prim stenographer into an almost psychopathic virtuoso."

--Charity McMaster, Schuler Books and Music
Grand Rapids, MI

"If you think history is dry, dusty, and boring, full of dull ideas and dates, then think again. The Plantagenets by Dan Jones is one of the most enjoyable books of history I've read in a while. Centuries ago, kings were expected to lead their troops into battle, and with figures such as Henry the 2nd, and Henry the 5th, this book has blood shed liberally throughout. It also has far more than its fair share of adultery, political intrigue, scheming, and treachery. If you were watching this on tv, you would assume that the author had taken some liberties with the truth. Actually, Dan Jones is very scrupulous throughout the book, even to the point of letting go some of the more intriguing legends that have been passed down through history. The Plantagenets was a joy to read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in history.... Or fans of Game of Thrones."

--Martin Sorensen, Green Apple Books
San Francisco, CA

"I finished Michael Fullilove's Rendezvous with Destiny and enjoyed it as much as anything I've read in a long time. I hadn't expected to be so intrigued with it, but it gave a full sketch of the importance of diplomatic missions to enhance the work of the state department, in fact sometimes so much more can be accomplished just through the informality of human contact. This book points out the use by Roosevelt of a handful of men to assess the situation in Europe before America's entry into the war, whether England would be a strong enough ally to withstand the attacks for the dictatorships, what kind of ally France would be, what the Allies needed more than anything else to continue their ability to make war on the dictators, etc. Harry Hopkins especially comes off as an important extension of FDR himself, giving the confidence to men like Churchill that FDR was a man of his word who intended to stick with the Allies in any way he could. You even get the feeling that FRD would have welcomed a declaration of war against us by Germany, so much was Hitler reviled. Hopkins also made an important trip to Moscow to visit Stalin, after the falling out between Germany and Russia, to get a feel for how much Stalin was willing to risk to destroy Hitler. All of these missions gave FDR the information he needed to guide the people of the US out of its isolationism, and to convince the Congress of the necessity of our involvement. A very readable, enjoyable book that should do well with publication."

--Steve Corrigan, Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN

"30 years after the heyday of their high school band 4 men reconvene in their hometown of Oakpine, Wyoming. One has returned to live out his last days and stands as focal point as all the men & those close to them examine how they've lived and how they come to understand what fulfills them. Carlson has written a beautiful, beautiful novel full of soulful searching, gentle wisdom and a bit of clarity gained around the price paid to acknowledge one's weaknesses yet still strive to love. By the end it made me weep."

--Sheryl Cotleur, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"Part time travel fantasy, part spy novel, and part regency romance, this debut novel was all awesomeness. Nick jumped from his natural life in 1813 to 2003, where he was intercepted by the Guild, whose self-imposed mission is to protect the River of Time. The first rule of the Guild is, 'There is no return' -- except Nick learns otherwise when he's recruited to go back to 1815 to help with a secret mission involving the Ofan, a different and sometimes opposing group of time travelers. It's in this time that Nick becomes reacquainted with his old neighbor Julia, who just may be the key to everything both Ofan and Guild are trying to accomplish. An amazing book (though apparently a first-in-series) that manages to be both entertaining and literary."

--Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"I loved The River of No Return! I was so impressed with how much story the author could convey in just a few words. It made me feel like I instantly knew the characters, and cared that much more about their lives."

--Ginny Jewell, Acorn Books
Dover, DE

"This is the kind of book that I absolutely adore. It had a little bit of everything: artisanal cheese, Regency style, time travel, romance, shadowy organizations with sinister agendas...It was like someone took all of my favorite stuff and put it in one novel and the novel was actually good. I passed it on to my co-worker, Kara, who finished it last week and she loved it, too. She was a big fan of Discovery of Witches, so I thought it might click with her and it did. My only complaint is that it's part of a series, which I didn't realize when I started it. Once I adjusted my expectations, though, all I could think was: 'Yay! There are going to be more books like this!'"

--Billie J. Bloebaum, Powells PDX
Portland, OR

"If Craig Johnson keeps writing books, I'm going to have to learn some new words--I've run out of superlatives! He has an amazing brain--so knowledgeable about everything from various religions to drilling for oil, as well as all the many criminal schemes people think up.

Things heat up when a splinter group of Mormans takes up residence in a nearby county and Walt finds a 15 year old Mormon boy who loses his britches while running away from Vic and Walt. It boils down to stealing oil from large pipelines among other crimes. A spectacular ending when Henry blows something up and Vic blows Walt's mind with something she asks him. But then.......Vic gets hurt. Things change in life and we readers may not always like what happens in a book but Craig Johnson nails this story with a sledgehammer. It leads the pack in the list of my very most favorite Longmire books!"

--Susan Wasson, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"The Craig Johnson ARC arrived and I devoured it within days. What a fun read. He reminds me so much of Chuck in his style, with a uniquely different flair. I think Johnson has perfected the art of using humor in a mystery series. His full measure of humor and attitude keep me smiling as I read, the plot and action keep the story rolling, and he is getting really good at developing the characters into believable people. I enjoy this series a lot, and wish I had them all sitting on my bookshelf. Thank you for sending the ARC to me to read. If finished copies are available, I'd surely like one. I am going to staff pick one of his earlier books to spark some interest in new readers when Serpent's Tooth comes out."

--Bill Gordon, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY

"I haven't read anything so wonderfully written and absorbing in ages. When I read every word, rather than skim the book for the plot, I know I have a treasure. The characters are deliciously alive and interesting...haven't encountered a dull one yet. I can't wait to get back to it. Finally! An exciting, compelling, original story. The cover is so beautiful that I am sure it will sell as a physical book. Please pass this along. It is a winner."

--Susan Porter, Maine Coast Book Shop
Damariscotta, ME

"I like the opportunity to gain knowledge of new things but, sometimes, the material is too technical and I lose interest.

This is a book to truly savor...every detail within the pages awakens a new sensation! Ms. Gilbert walked this novice back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and into the subjects of botanical exploration, abolition, love, familial interactions of highly intelligent and spirited people, mores and religious beliefs of barely civilized tropical islands, theories of evolution, metaphysical responses and endurance of nature and humanity...all the while communicating this information clearly and convincingly."

--Lydia Hart, Westwinds Bookshop
Duxbury, MA

"The family of botanists Elizabeth Gilbert has created in her new novel The Signature of All Things enchanted me from page one. Alma, our vulnerable, yet tough-as-nails heroine, escorts us through a unique history of the 19th Century.

We travel the world with the botanical hunters and gatherers of the day, smelling the earth on our dirty hands. We have our hearts broken by unrequited love and feel the stress and joy of a successful family business. We feel the intensity of the charged bond between sisters. We toil and revel in the process of scientific discovery.

Alma thrives in the cloistered world of her father's Philadelphia botanical empire until mid-life when she embarks on a remarkable journey of self discovery. An arduous trip to faraway Tahiti is a time of reckoning and enlightenment.

Gilbert is a master story teller and readers of her non-fiction will delight in The Signature of All Things. I love this book."

--Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe
Wichita, KS

"I loved it. It'll be an easy hand sell to 'smart women of a certain age.'"

--Thea Kotroba, Chester County Book Company
West Chester, PA

"The Signature of All Things hits several of my reading-love buttons: well-researched, intriguing historical fiction, fascinating historical figures that make an appearance, botany geekery, and a feeling of connectedness between people and the natural world we inhabit."

--Lauren Harr, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Asheville, NC

"I have been a bookseller for 35 years, and yet for the last year and a half I have not been reading anything--too much stress in my life to concentrate. As you can imagine, this made it hard for me to recommend a book. But once I started in on The Signature of All Things I was swept away and I didn't want to put it down. You could say it's a book about botany, but it's really a wonderful story about some very fascinating people--and one splendid dog. I will be recommending this one to everyone. I think it's THE book this year."

--Susan Russel, Mountain Books
Sonora, CA

"Thank you thank you thank you for sending Elizabeth Gilbert's novel. I absolutely loved it. Alma Whittaker is one of the most vivid and memorable female characters that I've encountered and she will stay with me forever. The Signature of All Things reminded me in many ways of Ahab's Wife, with an unconventional, brave and fascinating woman taking the reader both around the world and deeply inside herself. I was inspired, enthralled and desolate when I reached the end of this amazing novel. I can't wait to share it with our customers. Wow!"

--Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"6 years ago, Jake made a promise to Natalie on her wedding day that he'd never try to contact her again, But now her husband is dead, and he wants to see if they can rekindle the fire that, for him, has never died. Unfortunately, it seems her husband was married to another woman for 20 years before he died, and no one Jake talks to knows where Natalie is. Enter the bad guys, the police, and the FBI, all of whom would like to find Natalie if there is any chance she is still alive, no matter who they have to hurt to find her. Utterly suspenseful right up until the stunning conclusion!"

--Susan Taylor, Market Block Books
Troy, NY

"It has taken me a bit to finish this book because it has plunged me into philosophizing along the way. As a mother myself, it has made me look into our expectations as parents--do we parent with an agenda? Do we look so far into our children's future that we miss the awful beauty of the present? If the present is all we have--would we love our children differently? The words 'brave' and 'heroic' are too limited for a description of this memoir. I would describe it as 'necessary'. The terror, anguish and profound joy of just 'being' that Emily writes through is a reality check for us all. Thank you for sharing this with us."

--Lynn Pines, McLean and Eakin Booksellers
Petoskey, MI

"Ivan Doig? When I see his name, I pick up the book. I don't need to know what it's about. That's almost irrelevant. I'm in it for the storytelling, and he has never let me down. I know I'm not the only one who's been kept up late into the night savoring his every word."

--Julie Norcross, McLean and Eakin Booksellers
Petoskey, MI

"We at Book Passage love Ivan Doig. I love Ivan Doig. My bookclub loves Ivan Doig. Our bookclub read Whistling Season and enjoyed his humor, his big sky, his old-fashioned farm and village, his subtle way of describing wet and dry farming, and his characters. When he was at our bookstore several years ago, fans drove for hours to see him! His works will be considered American classics."

--Janel Feierabend, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"There is a reason why Ivan Doig has won more awards from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association than any other Northwest author: He's that good.

Doig's novels portray the real, emotional lives of 'regular' people, not celebrities or psychotic people whose deeds get them plastered on the front page. His prose evokes the times, atmospheres, and physical challenges of the surroundings in which his players live, and transports his readers to places and events they enjoy, learn from, and laugh with. Doig's books are very easy to hand sell, too, because there are very few people who do not enjoy them. "

--Thom Chambliss, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

"Ivan Doig's novels are as lush and expansive as all of Big Sky Montana.

I can't give just any book shelf room, but I have all of Doig's where I can reach them handily.

I love his characters- I love his descriptions of the land.

His books are treasures."

--Jocelyn Gebhardt, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"Ivan Doig, a native of Montana, sets most of his books among that state's stern Scots settlers. These independent men and women, mainly ranchers, lead hard and lonely lives in small, dusty towns or on the vast plains, the looming, often menacing Rockies always in view. Family ties and the past are important in all of Doig's books, many of which are set in the 20th and late 19th centuries. His writing is spare, yet he depicts the intricate relationships among his characters and the effects of history on them with clarity and grace.

Doig creates a world that encompasses the reader, with people that are alive and vital. He has justly been compared with Wallace Stegner for not only the location of his books but the beauty of his writing."

--Louise Jones, Northshire Bookstore
Manchester Center, VT

"Ivan Doig writes for a smart audience and his characters reflect this. They are fully realized and their situations ring true. His descriptions can vary from spare to deep, and his work invites introspection unlike the read-it-forget-it work of so many authors..

When I finish one of Doig's books there is a kind of depression that sets in because I realize I have to wait for him to write another one.

An Ivan Doig book is not a vacation beach-read, but and entire adventure--all by itself."

--Mark Lehnertz, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Highlands Ranch, CO

"Ivan Doig is a wonderful, old-fashioned story teller. Always a satisfying read."

--Michelle Bellah, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"Ivan Doig is a master storyteller of American tales. His two memoirs and ten novels are set in the Montana high country of his birth, but Doig is not just a 'Western author.'

With rich prose reminiscent of Wallace Stegner he paints detailed images of the big skies and rugged landscapes of his beloved home, but it's the populations of the communities and ranches that readers remember best. The single dad and coming-of-age Rusty of The Bartender's Tale....the high school pals who split up to serve in WWII in The Eleventh Man....the lovable rapscallion Morrie Morgan in Work Song and Whistling Season are characters in every sense, and Doig fans will catch the family ties and small-town connections among the novels. While Montanans are shaping the land, their connection to it shapes them.

Since his first book, the memoir This House of Sky, was nominated for the National Book Award, Doig has been praised by critics, and faithful readers are no less appreciative.

'Reading an Ivan Doig novel is like settling in with a favorite afghan', a book club member once told me, 'It's like being home.'"

--Cheryl McKeon, Book Passage
San Francisco, CA

"I received an ARC the other day and am about 1/2 through. I already know that I do not want it to end. I think it's as good as The Whistling Season. The chapter introducing Zoey is fabulous!"

--Thom Chambliss, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

"I love Ivan Doig. He writes simple books about characters like people you know, in a small town when life was much easier and slower. Books full of love of family and friends."

--Linda Grana, Diesel Bookstore
Oakland, CA

"A story within a story within a story, this ambitious tale combines the study of Buddhism, quantum physics, teenage bullying, suicide, and the looping quality of time woven into a lovely tapestry of loss and redemption. We meet fifteen-year old Naoki through her diary. She is a troubled girl raised in California who returns to Tokyo when her father loses his job, only to be ostracized by her classmates. Nao's plan is to document the life of her century old grandmother, Jiko, a Buddhist nun, and then commit suicide. This diary, along with a watch, letters from a Kamikaze suicide pilot, and a slim journal written in French wash ashore on the Canadian coastline and are found by Ruth, a writer who has lost her muse. As the novel unfolds, alternating between Ruth and Naoki, we learn the stories behind all of these items. This is a mystery, a morality tale, a coming of age story with a touch of magical realism. Okeki's writing is hauntingly beautiful and I loved it from start to finish."

--Pat, Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM

"A suicidal Japanese girl postpones her death as she grows close to her 104-year-old great grandmother, a Buddhist nun. An American author with writer's block discovers a diary, washed ashore on her remote Pacific Northwest island. Ruth, the writer, becomes obsessed with the teenager Nao and her diary, and readers will be drawn to their two tales plus Nao's stories, including another tale, written by her great-uncle, a kamikaze pilot. Ruth Ozeki's creatively-constructed novel (with footnotes, Japanese characters, and appendices) will have readers pining for Nao when reading about Ruth, and missing Ruth during Nao's diary entries, and marveling at the leaps in time and connection that bring the two together in this witty, daring and thoughtful novel."

--Cheryl Krocker McKeon, Book Passage
San Francisco, CA

"What an incredible novel that skillfully traverses several levels of meaning without ever losing the thread of a coherent narrative. A diary of a young Japanese girl is found washed up on the west coast of Canada by a novelist living there. It appears the young girl is writing to this novelist. Thru hardship, grief and sometimes plain wonder, the characters observe, remark on and evolve through events they live or that touch on them as pond ripples moving through time. Perhaps what's even more extraordinary is how this novel ropes in the reader so that we are yet another party to what it means to be a time being. I can't stop marveling."

--Sheryl Cotleur, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"A Tale For The Time Being is a beautiful book, full of wordplay and delightfully sly tricks. It's definitely a meta novel that raises all kinds of questions, like 'What is the reader's responsibility in books', 'Is a narrator responsible to be reliable?', and 'How do books affect our lives and shape us into who we become?' It's a truly deep book, like Life Of Pi, and there's an audience for that, although it may be a tough sell, because describing what it's about is truly tough! This is a great book for the literary reader, and you should do well with it."

--Bill Carl, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY

"Ruth, a writer, walking the beach of a remote Pacific island, comes across the modern-day equivalent of a message in a bottle: a freezer bag, covered with barnacles, containing a Hello Kitty lunchbox that has protected a watch, a diary, and a stash of letters. As Ruth begins to read the diary she wonders if it is debris from the 2011 tsunami. The book shifts between Ruth, the diary of 16 year old Nao in Tokyo, and the letters of Nao's great-uncle who died in the war. Horribly bullied and lonely, Nao is planning to kill herself after she records the life of her great grand-mother, a Buddhist nun. Nao will capture your heart with her story, as she does with Ruth. Recalling the genius of Mitchell and Zusac, A Tale for the Time Being is a marvel of a story, managing to celebrate books, readers and writers. Ozeki allows us to see the despair and strength of her varied characters (a kamikaze pilot, a Buddhist nun, a writer, a failed software developer, a lonely teen), and deftly weaves history and philosophy into a tale you will not forget."

--Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL

"A Tale for the Time Being is so amazing, when I finished the last delicious page I read it again (I have never read an ARC twice!). Ruth Ozeiki's talent to bring such an emotional attachemnt to her characters and story is second to none. I am amazed at the power and the glory of this brilliant novel."

--Sally Brewster, Park Road Books
Charlotte, NC

"I loved Ten Things I've Learnt About Love. While I was reading it, I thought of at least 3 people I will sell it to."

--Joanne Sealy, Faulkner House
New Orleans, LA

"I can see this becoming a cult classic with women who've grown up on fantasy but also love the romance of Pride and Prejudice. Don't let the heft fool you -- this was a very fast read and what a hope will be the first of a series."

--Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction Bookstore
Greenville, SC

"What a provocative escape into fantasy this is! Nora Fischer's boyfriend just jilted her and her dissertation in English Lit is languishing, unfinished. Then she stumbles through a portal into a world filled with magic, encounters graceful Ilissa, a woman, who is definitely not as helpful as she seems and is manipulated into falling for Ilissa's extremely dangerous son. After Nora realizes she is facing extreme peril, she is rescued by the taciturn magician, Aruendial, with secrets of his own, who reluctantly offers her shelter and protection. Since returning to her own world looks like it is extremely unlikely, Nora, a modern woman, tries to adapt to the antiquated world in which she finds herself and realizes she may have to learn magic herself in order to return to her previous life. I found good depth of character, an enthralling world, intrigue and magic in this enchanting novel. Although I had my doubts at first, I loved the fact that, despite challenging circumstances, Nora doesn't lose her independent and feisty nature and because she is an English major, the literary references interspersed though out were very entertaining. I found good depth of character, an enthralling world, intrigue and magic in this enchanting novel and am hopeful there will be a sequel."

--Pam Stilp, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"After reading many of the academic dusty library scholar turned witch travel log books, I would still not consider myself an expert. Only that it is my personal quicksand of the shelves and shelves to pick through. My guilty pleasure. With a secret smile I thought this would be just another dive into the paranormal archives, but Barker smoothed that out quickly. The hike through the woods felt so easily like these Appalachian woods in my backyard. Nora took on the role of boon companion within the first paragraph. Each chapter flew. Her subtle character descriptions and magic-y parts work with the precision of being read to on a long road-trip. I didn't want to get out of the car. More to the point: I believed her. Many thanks for shaking up my usual go-to reading--this was a marvelous read!"

--Emily, City Lights Bookstore
Sylva, NC

"Nora Fischer's life is a mess, but she is hardly prepared to leave it for a life in a world in which magic is real and fairies are nasty creatures who abduct young women to try to cross breed them with fairy royalty. Yet that is exactly where she ends up; when the fairy glamor wears off, she is rescued by a magician who thinks women are second class beings. Determined to get back to her own world, Nora teaches herself to read (as a graduate student in literature, she can't stand being illiterate) and persuades her rescuer to teach her magic. When she has a chance to return home, she has one question--is that really where she wants to be? Fun!"

--Susan Taylor, Market Block Books
Troy, NY

"Have you ever wanted to visit Elizabethan England? The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England is the next best thing. Organized as a travel guide, this book give the reader a colorful picture of all aspects of Elizabethan life, from religion and politics to language and lodgings, from gender and class to sanitary conditions and what to wear. A fascinating history book for those who like their history served up in the present tense, without pretension."

--Kristen Eaton, Phoenix Books
Essex Junction, VT

"This is an inventive and witty debut from Jansma, about a young man's quest to become a writer and the misadventures in life and love that take him around the globe. The man in question is also the narrator of the story, and he is both inspired and haunted by the success of his greatest friend and rival in writing, the eccentric and brilliantly talented Julian McGann, and endlessly enamored with Julian's enchanting friend, Evelyn ,the girl who got away. From the jazz clubs of Manhattan to the villages of Sri Lanka, these three remarkably engaging characters grow up and grow old, fall in and out of love, write novels and wed wealthy European aristocrats.

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards is a brilliant exploration of the art of storytelling - Jansma weaves examples of his characters' writing throughout - as well as a compelling story of three friends trying to make their way in the world."

--Hut Landon, Executive Director, NCIBA

"One of my faves of the season! I gave a galley to one of our new employees who is primarily a reader of fiction, he's excited about reading it."

--Linda Grana, Diesel Bookstore
Oakland, CA

"I read--and LOVED!--The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards. I'm busily engaged in hand-selling..."

--Grace Bogart, Copperfields Books
Petaluma, CA

"I am delirious over his book! Loved every word - and I'm spreading the word like mad. Can't wait to see what happens with this remarkable writer."

--Melissa Cistaro, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"I loved Kris's book... I've been recommending it to customers whenever I'm there. The title chapter is one of the best things I've ever read!"

--Carolyn Hutton, A Great Good Place for Books
Oakland, CA

"Unchangeable Spots of Leopards is a book I wanted to read again as soon as I reached the last page. It played with my mind with its loops of metafictional narratives, lies and truths. It appealed to obsession with books and writing, my always-present wanderlust, and my inexplicable fondness for unreliable narrators."

--Ellie Bogomazova, Politics and Prose
Washington, DC

"This is a wild ride, around the world and through the fun house of life. The author has created a very unreliable narrator and has managed to make him very endearing and realistic. In an effort to find the truth about himself, our narrator follows a path of lies and deception. He is surrounded by quirky characters, all flawed and some equally endearing. The goal to write an enduring piece of fiction is a recurring theme in the novel, and we see the protagonist write and rewrite the same novel over the course of several years and in as many locations on the globe. This truly is a book within a book within a book, and is filled with thoughts on friendship and writing and life, and is done so in a wonderfully skillful manner, full of rich details. As you would guess, the 'unchangeable spots of leopards' takes on many meanings throughout the book I was totally engaged and couldn't stop thinking about the characters long after I had put the book down. What a brilliantly told, fun read!"

--Karen Ford, McLean & Eakin Booksellers
Petoskey, MI

"So brilliant. Just loved it. This reminded me a little of William Boyd's writing. And, I loved the ending. So so good!"

--Maria Roden, Rakestraw Books
Danville, CA

"I'm a bookseller with the indie bookstore Copperfield's Books in California, where rep Wendy Pearl has been doling out hotly claimed ARCs (advance reading copies) of your novel. I hope you are preparing yourself for the many (non-writing) author events with which you're going to be inundated when your astonishing novel is released in the spring. (Our booksellers are fighting over who gets the rights to put it on their Staff Recs shelf first.)

When I know halfway through that I want to reread a book to catch references and themes, I know I'm touching something special. Let me be among the many handselling booksellers who have been recruited to your team to say, Beautifully realized, sir."

--Ellen Skagerberg, Copperfields Books
Santa Rosa, CA

"A very nice treat -- well-written, fun, and appealing, with a few serious spots (no pun intended) here and there to give the story some heft.

It reminds me in some ways of Tom Robbins's Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates -- the story line jumps in time and space now and then, the main character wanders the globe a bit, and there are some lovely, unique turns of phrase now and then.

I'll definitely be recommending this book when it appears the end of March, and I'll be on the lookout for more from Mr. Jansma."

--Allen Murphey, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Kristopher Jansma makes an incredibly inventive and imaginative debut with this series of connected stories. As his unnamed narrator pursues his goal of being a writer, he becomes a universal spokesman for a brilliant discourse in truth, lies, fiction and reality in a novel that challenges the reader to examine basic concepts while also maintaining a sense of intrigue and wonder."

--Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books
Ann Arbor, MI

"After reading just three chapters, I started placing special orders for customers, telling them that even if the last 9/10 of the book was awful, what I had read so far was worth it. After finishing, I just kept ordering it for folks who love books that are really well done. Some people are plot-driven. Some can stomach any plot as long as the writing is fantastic. The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards is perfect for either type of book lover. It is best described by these lines pulled directly from the book: 'It is a rare sort of book that resembles nothing else and yet somehow seems intensely familiar. From the first line you feel your own heart begin to beat differently. Once it's over you want to begin it again. It is a love letter; it is an atom bomb; it is literature we'd forgotten could be written.'"

--Beth Golay, Watermark Books & Cafe
Wichita, KS

"Masterful. Golden. An incredible debut. It is a labyrinth of themes and a playground of words. I felt like every sentence was meant for me, every symbol placed strategically for me to uncover. This is a book for people who love books, written by someone who loves writing. As I wrote in a fan/love letter to Kristopher, I haven't felt this thoroughly excited about a book - or, similarly, reawakened to the mind-blowing beauty and magic of language - since the first time I read Dostoyevsky. I wouldn't necessarily draw parallels between the writing styles of the authors, but on an emotional level they each made me feel what I suspect every writer hopes his/her audience will feel. If this is the last we see from this author I will be heartbroken."

--Stephenie McCollum, Copperfields Books
Santa Rosa, CA

"As a reader, hand me any book about the life of a writer (fiction or not) and I'm pretty much hooked. Jansma's debut novel about writing, friendship, toxic love, and identity is the perfect blend of heart-wrenching loss and the comedy-of-errors that is young adulthood."

--Emily Russo, Greenlight Bookstore
Brookyln, NY

"I just finished The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards. Excellent."

--Vicki DeArmon, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"I loved this brilliant and intense novel about, if it can be contained in one word, writing. The art of writing, the investment in telling a story, in playing with truth & lies, love & sanity all play out like a fine game of checkers where after moving forward charging back leads to success. Jansma's characters careen off the page being reckless, obsessed and surprisingly profound and you, the reader, never see it coming - wonderful!"

--Sheryl Cotleur, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"I'm afflicted, all I see are spots. I'm breaking out in spots. Have to work at the bookshop early in the morning. It's a good bookshop, back-breaking work, my knees are shot but oh the ARC's! I was feeling desperate, quietly desperate. Then Nicole, the bookshop owner, hands me your novel. She was saving it for herself but she gave it to me first. She knew I was on the brink I guess. I'm afflicted with spots. Thank you for writing this novel! I feel the full strength of happiness, eudaimonia."

--Lisa, The Bookworm of Edwards
Edwards, CO

"Thanks so much for sending me The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards. I just finished it, but I don't want to let go of the people I met in these pages. I was fascinated with all the characters but especially with the elusive novelist, the actress, the editor, and most of all with the truth slanting narrator. From the first page when he is a kid, waiting for his flight attendant mother to return to terminal B, to the surprising but perfect ending, I was under his spell. Kristopher Jansma is bold and talented and he spins a mesmerizing tale."

--Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"Joanna, Terra, and I all read The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards this weekend--WOW!!!"

--Emma Schurman, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"I loved The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards! It was amazingly well written."

--Michelle Bellah, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"I've never in my life finished a book only to flip it immediately back to the beginning and start again. But that's what happened when I reached the end of The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards. Jansma has created a world so rich, so stickily nuanced that I don't want to stop reading it until I've peeled back and devoured every layer. So, preferably, never. "

--Joanna Robinson, Copperfields Books
Sonoma County, CA

"I finished The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards... and went back to the beginning to start again. It's just that kind of book."

--Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop
Mendocino, CA

"The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards is the most beautifully crafted book I have had the pleasure to read in years! Completely original, absorbing, and mysterious, this will be the book that I can put in any readers hand and say with confidence 'this is the next book you will fall in love with.'"

--Luisa Smith, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"I just wanted to let you know that I finished The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards and I thought that it was AMAZING! I totally fell in love with this story, so intricate and full of the most interesting people and places. The writing felt profound, magical and thought provoking and the end! Wow! I have never read anything that so beautifully describes watches and our perception of time, the beauty of those first few pages really carries on throughout the book as he returns to the concept of time again and again. There are just to many good things for me to say about this book to put in an email."

--Emily Cole, Copperfields Books
Sebastopol, CA

"The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards is absolutely obsessed with itself, and it won't stop until you love it, too. Its characters hit far too close to home to make a reading experience completely comfortable. It's distressingly entertaining, and irresistible in most ways. It was sort of like the first time I tried soda. I would recommend it to anyone."

--Ian Walters, Diesel Bookstore
Oakland, CA

"We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves is a magical novel which makes the unique seem normal while descriptions of the normal seem transcendent. Karen has an amazing deft touch, imbuing all of her writing with humor and thoughtfulness. This novel is about very large issues such as identity, and what it means to be human, but as I was laughing and crying with the characters all I could think was how much I was loving this book. In the end all of those big issues fit together like a wonderful puzzle and I am left feeling grateful for the perspective that Karen's novel has given me."

--Luisa Smith, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"I've long been a fan of Karen Joy Fowler's fiction and her smart, ironic, unique voice, and her new novel is simply the most wonderful book I've read in ages. This story of a contemporary Midwestern family - mother, father, son, daughter, chimpanzee - is narrated by daughter Rosemary as she comes into adulthood carrying the weight and confusion of her unconventional childhood, trying to make sense of her life and move forward. It is brilliant, very funny, unsettling, sad, profound, and utterly original. I can't wait to share it with our customers. I am completely beside myself!"

--Mary Benham, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"This latest novel by the author of The Jane Austen Book Club is both one of the funniest and most disturbing I've encountered recently.

It reads convincingly like a first-person family memoir – a family united and torn apart by secrets -- told by Rosemary Cooke, long an only child but wondering about a brother and sister who have disappeared and that nobody will talk about. Indirection is a fundamental value in her family (ostensibly to protect her emotionally-fragile mother), and she has learned it well and applies it to telling her story. She begins in the middle and works backwards and forwards -- a plan once suggested by her psychologist father – leaving holes in the narrative for things she didn't know at the time, for things she did know but isn't ready to tell you, and for a few things she thinks she knows but might have dreamed or made up.

I'm not going to spoil the author's plan by telling you too much; spoilers don't usually bother me, but I got a lot of pleasure out of being surprised when she was ready to surprise me. Her writing is great – light, agile and funny – which makes the darknesses all the more wrenching. You'll want to read this book, and you won't quickly forget it."

--Allen Moore, City Lights Bookstore
Sylva, NC

"I just finished What The Family Needed, and I loved it. It took me a while to sink my teeth into; in the first few stories, I was reading just because I liked the structure, but it grew on me and grew on me - I'd say I liked each story better than the last, as it builds and builds and builds - and the final story completely blew me away. Probably the best thirty pages I've read all year. I can't rave enough about the structure of the book - I haven't read anything comparable since Ghostwritten - but the 'twist' of the ending Amsterdam pulls off is so masterful, it almost overwhelms the praise I could lavish on the rest of it."

--Drew Williams, Little Professor Book Center
Homewood, AL

"Resplendent with the intelligence that comes from accumulated experience, seasoned with sudden and delightful humor, and written with great sensitivity, Josh Hanagarne's The World's Strongest Librarian is one of this Spring's best surprises. It's not simply a love letter to anyone who's built a life around books, but the moving autobiographical work of a gentle giant who refuses to let his sense of wonder about the world be displaced by his challenges, and an insightful and informative exposition of what it's like to wake every morning, and navigate life with Tourette Syndrome."

--Aaron Cance, The King's English Bookshop
Salt Lake City, UT

"Librarians are the guardians of free speech right? But what happens when you have a syndrome that makes speaking difficult or even impossible at times? Josh Hanagarne uses his love of books and libraries to create a kind of truce with his Tourette Syndrome and in the process shows us the lovely, funny, crazy, and sometimes sad times a downtown city librarian lives through every day. Read this book and then go hug a librarian!"

--Anne Holman, The King's English Bookshop
Salt Lake City, UT

"Imagine not being able to control when noises came out of your mouth, or when or how your body moved. Now imagine dealing with that as a child who spends a lot of time in libraries. Fast forward to adulthood, when you actually work in a library. Hanagarne's funny, engaging memoir details how love, reading, and, yes!, kettlebells help him deal with Tourette Syndrome and make a life for himself that many of us could envy. This love letter to books, libraries, and lifting is a pleasure to read."

--Catherine Weller, Sam Weller's Bookstore
Salt Lake City, UT

"I finished Yonahlossee! Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is filled with family drama, adolescent angst and poor choices that inevitably lead to a young adult with a deeper sense of self awareness, independence and a more mature world view."

--Tammy Glenn-Allen, NACSCORP
Oberlin, OH

"What did 15-year-old Thea Alter do that her parents were compelled to send her away to camp in the middle of the season and then left here for an entire year? This secret is slowly revealed in Anton DiSclafani's debut novel The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, and it is this well-paced unraveling that keeps the pages turning. But there's so much more to this story, including questions of how the depression affected families and how these same families weather internal storms as well. DiSclafani's writing is smart and sexy, and her characters are flawed and worth knowing as they navigate through life and make not always the wisest decisions."

--Rona Brinlee, The Bookmark
Neptune Beach, FL

"In order to protect their family from outside influences and harm, the adult Atwells decide to raise their son and daughter on a huge plot of inherited Florida land in the early 1900's. The children thrive with freedom to roam and explore and grow up happy and extremely close until a tragedy forever destroys the bliss and sends Thea, age 15, to camp. Here, for the first time without family, Thea is forced to confront her mistakes and the future.

It was difficult for me to believe that The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls was Disclafani's first novel. What lovely, evocative writing! I am telling everyone at the bookshop where I work how much I enjoyed this novel--cannot wait until it is published, and I can recommend it to customers!"

--Susan Diffenderfer, Tall Tales Bookshop
Atlanta, GA

"Teenage angst to the max! For mysterious reasons not immediately known to the reader, fifteen-year-old Thea Atwell has been sent from her Depression-era family home in Florida to the elite Yonahlossee Riding Camp in the Blue Ridge mountains. Although not exemplary in character or actions, she may well be one of the most memorable characters of your recent reading. Her fondness for horses and sex (not necessarily in that order!) is a theme that runs throughout the book, dropping hints about why she was sent away. Underneath the tough veneer is a lonely, confused young lady reaching for love and acceptance: this is Thea's story.

Billed by Publisher's Weekly as one of the ten books most likely to make a splash on this summer's charts, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a coming-of-age story like no other. Throw this in your vacation bag and read away!"

--Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault
Oskaloosa, IA

"Anton DiSclafani writes about family and secrets in her debut novel set on an orange grove in northern Florida during the Great Depression. You are not quite sure what exactly happened between headstrong Thea and her cousin but it was enough to banish her to a hoity doity riding camp high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In one sentence Anton reveals the truth to the family secrets in a magnificent debut novel. This is one we will put in our customers hands all summer long."

--Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books, Inc.
Mystic, CT

"This is a lovely coming-of-age story set in North Carolina in 1930. Fifteen-year-old Thea has done something dreadful, so she has been sent away from her family home in Florida to an all-girls boarding school. The novel unfolds slowly and beautifully so that the reader is given hints about what heinous act Thea has committed. Although the plot includes young girls, boarding school, horses, and forbidden love, the storyline feels fresh. I look forward to reading more from Disclafani."

--Sharon Nagel, Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI

"Anton DiSclafani's debut reads like a cousin of Robert Goolrick's works. This voyeuristic, dark, and lusty novel explores themes like the love and secrets of twins, unrequited desire, and the loss of innocence. In this hauntingly beautiful story, Thea, a victim of circumstance, seeks to gain freedom from an unsettled past. Using horses as a means of establishing self-confidence, she works to navigate the social requirements of an all girls school while dealing with her own emerging and uncomfortable feelings. Yonahlossee will leave readers wanting more."

--Jaime Kellogg, The Bookworm of Edwards
Edwards, CO

"After spending a seemingly idyllic childhood on a vast and isolated citrus plantation in Florida, 15-year old Thea Atwell is sent to a riding camp in the equally isolated mountains of North Carolina. She's banished as a result of an unnamed family tragedy, leaving behind her beloved twin brother and cousin, the two of them her dearest and only companions.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an exclusive enclave, sheltering, educating and cosseting daughters of wealthy southerners. This being the early years of the Depression, certain girls are quietly sent home when their tuition checks do not clear the bank. Rumor amidst her fellow campers is that Thea was sent away due to an unfortunate incident with a boy. Thea finds her footing though her anger and loneliness lead her on another unwise path. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a luscious novel; moving, entertaining, sexy and cinematic."

--Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"Presently a vacation resort destination, Yohahlossee was at one time a girls' school attended by the wealthy daughters of the south. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is set in depression-era 1930-1931. This is the story of fifteen year old Thea Atwell, banished from her Central Florida country home for an 'indiscretion' and taken to Yonahlossee as punishment. Having been there myself, I can tell you that if you ever find yourself banished, Yonahlossee is the place to be banished to. This picturesque setting has streams and lakes and snow and flowers -- and horses. Thea loves horses and would ride all day everyday if she could. But that little indiscretion seems to have followed her to North Carolina, and just because you've changed locations doesn't mean you've changed who you are. In flashbacks we learn more and more about what Thea brushes off as 'a series of events,' the incidents that altered not only her life but that of her family. The connection between girls and horses is supposed to be about control. Thea is fine on horseback, among the best in the school. But when it comes to her budding sexuality, indiscreet is a nice word to describe her behavior, reckless and out of control might be more like it.

I think this is a perfect vacation read. But wherever you go, one part of you will be lost in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, the steamy orange groves in Central Florida, in Thea's world of 1930, 1931, and what, if anything, is beyond the 'indiscretion.'"

--Pete Schulte, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"I don't know what drew me to this book, but once I started reading it held a strange power over me. Set in the south in 1930, it's narrated by 15-year-old Thea, who is both perplexed by adult mores and wise beyond her years. The story of Thea's time at the riding camp, and the slow unwinding of the tale of what brought her there, is spell-binding."

--Georgiana Blomberg, Magnolia Bookstore
Seattle, WA

"This fantastic first novel will capture you almost immediately. Set in the lush Southern United States during the Great Depression, Thea is sent from her idyllic Florida home to attend the Yonahlossee Riding Camp after a family scandal. With cinematic storytelling, an unforgettable cast of characters, and a plot to keep you turning the page, DiSclafani is a powerful new literary voice."

--Alise Hamilton, HugoBookstores
Andover, MA

"In her startling, harshly beautiful coming-of-age novel , author Anton DiScalfani creates an unforgettable character in Thea Atwell. Thea, a daughter of the Great Depression, is sent away from her home in Florida to the Yonahlosee Riding Camp for Girls in the mountains of North Carolina for a mysterious reason that is artfully revealed a bit at time. This reader was held captive by the author's effortless story-telling skills and wonderfully complex characters. In what can only be described as a masterful first novel, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, accomplishes two of an author's most sought after goals: readers care about the characters and don't want the story to end!"

--Cindy Norris, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Asheville, NC

"In this eloquent and heartbreaking coming of age story, ten-year-olds Jenny and Sarah write letters to the Soviet premier at the height of the Cold War. Only Jenny’s letter gets a response and she accepts an invitation to the U.S.S.R., causing a chill to set over the girls’ friendship. A plane crash claims the lives of Jenny and her parents in 1985. Ten years later, Sarah investigates what happened to her estranged friend. This is a beautiful and surprising story about friendship and loss."

--Luisa Smith, Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA

"You Are One of Them is a powerful novel of friendship, loss and deception, set in the heart of the Cold War: 1980's Washington, and the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union: Moscow in the 1990's. The crux of the novel is based loosely on the true tale of young Samantha Smith whose letter to Yuri Andropov led to an invitation to visit the USSR as an ambassador for peace, and her tragic death in a plane crash soon thereafter.

In You Are One of Them best friends Sarah Zuckerman and Jennifer Jones write letters to Andropov, but only Jennifer's letter is acknowledged by him. Following a whirlwind tour of the Soviet Union and the subsequent American media frenzy, Jennifer and her parent's die in a fiery plane crash. Or do they? Sarah has lost a sister to meningitis, a father to a second wife and family in England, a mother to her depression and obsession with the threat of nuclear war, and now her best friend. Or has she? A mysterious tip years after the plane crash leads Sarah to Moscow in an effort to uncover the truth about Jennifer and her family. Elliott Holt's compelling debut looks at the Cold War and its aftermath through the eyes of its survivors, and at the same time offers a deep and honest look at many kinds of kinship and loyalty.

Holt captures the character of both Washington and Moscow, cities intrinsic to the fates of her complicated and often enigmatic characters. Her end result is a very entertaining and thought provoking novel. And now I can't help wondering: Did we really land on the moon?"

--Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Bookstore
Denver, CO

"I will nominate for indie pick...A wonderfully written crime mystery by an English author that is part of the World Noir Series. Not only is it hard to figure out who did it, the author uses the immigrant community as a backdrop and portrays the brutality of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. It is a haunting story that educates the reader about the political history of Africa."

--Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette Bookstore
Fairhope, AL

“What happens when the head of the Wyr is an ancient dragon whose hoard has been plundered? And the Thief, a half-wyr, who had been blackmailed into the theft in the first place, is then made to stay at the dragon's side for her protection – Romance of course……This one went immediately on the Keeper Shelf!”

--Lauren Sheppard, Partners West
Renton, WA

"Dragon Bound is a delightful joy ride which takes the reader through a magical universe of dragons, trolls, elves and more. Strong willed characters with a sexual sizzle that pops off the pages....a keeper."

--Kathy Baker, Waldenbooks
Fort Worth, TX

"I really enjoyed Dragon Bound-loved the characters and the story, and I'm really looking forward to the next one."

--Ellen Higuchi, Borders
Santa Clara, CA

"I LOVED IT!!!! I spent the whole day reading Dragon Blood. Finished it a 1:35 am, did not want to put the book down, and can't wait for the next one! What a good book. I loved the story, loved Pia and Dragos, heck I loved it all. I am so glad I read this book!!"

--Debra Vodden, Borders

"I started reading Falling to Earth last night and couldn't put it down. I've always had a morbid fascination with severe weather and the first part of the book was gripping. I like her crisp style of writing. She put me right there trying to get the storm door open in the strong wind and I know she'll keep me long after the storm passes."

--Ann Nye, Excelsior Bay Books
Excelsior, MN

"This new book by Linda Olsson, author of Astrid & Veronika, moved right to the top of my to read list. Living on the coast of New Zealand, Marion has retreated from life, until she encounters young Ika and begins to reflect on the many loves of her past. Olsson's beautiful writing offers an intimate, poignant portrait of a woman at mid-life and the troubled boy she tries to help."

--Carol Blizzard Dunn, Northwind Book & Fiber
Spooner, WI

"I am about half way through Pastors' Wives and I just have to tell you this is a remarkable book!! It is so well researched, expertly written, with engrossing story lines and believable characters. It is hard to believe this is the author's first novel. I highly recommend this book and I hope we see more from the author."

--Cheryl Kravetz, Classic Bookshop
Palm Beach, FL

"Florine Gilham is 12 when her mother disappears. The panic and heartbreak that ensue and the way the entire town rallies around the devastated family are charmingly rendered in this coming of age story set in coastal Maine."

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

"Young Florine Gilham's mother disappears on her annual weekend getaway, leaving a large hole in Florine's life. This coming of age story is poignant and affecting. Set on the coast of Maine in the early sixties, Rogers has portrayed a strong spirited young girl with sensitivity and humor. This is one to recommend to older teens as well as for adults."

--Sue Richardson, Maine Coast Book Shop
Damariscotta, ME

"I miss Robert B. Parker. He can't be replaced. But luckily for us, his style can be resurrected. Jesse Stone is back. It's a world where the good guys triumph and the bad guys go down. In Paradise, MA, cars are disappearing, and Jesse has to track down the source of the problem before it escalates into something that will kill the all-important tourist season. He's the superhero of cops, tangling with the mob, romancing the ladies, all with his signature deadpan humor. Great, uncomplicated fun! Bravo Michael Brandman!"

--Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Cincinnati, OH

“A Princess reluctant to become Queen because she can trust no one except the one person that her people will not accept, multiple assassination attempts and a passion that won't quit……. Storm's Heart enchanted me to the very last page, I couldn't put it down!”

--Lauren Sheppard, Partners West
Renton, OR

"The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones is a book that eludes simple categorization. There is a fantasy element in it, and there are R-rated and disturbing scenes, and there is a coming-of-age and love story... Wolf takes a risk by imitating the 18th century writing style, with its capitalization of nouns and turns of phrase that sound odd to a modern ear. But his gamble pays off as the Tristan's narration takes over and Wolf's storytelling skill turns a literary gimmick into a natural and necessary ingredient of the book.

It is a brave, not-for-the-squeamish debut novel. Be prepared to lose some sleep if you like your fiction dark, have an interest in the history of medicine, and delight in trying to figure out what is real and what is simply a product of an unbalanced mind."

--Ellie Bogomazova, Politics and Prose
Washington, DC

"I love Jen Lancaster! Although this book purports to be Jen's year of living like Martha Stewart, it moves well beyond crafts and planting bulbs to tell the story of Maisie, Jen's dog who is slowly succumbing to cancer. You'll laugh, cry, and see yourself in this book. Another winner!"

--Susan Taylor, The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
Albany, NY

"I was thrilled to get an arc of Karen's new book!!! I have enjoyed each and every one of her novels...but THIS!!!! This was a knock-out...the best of them all! I cannot wait for it to be published, so that I can hand-sell it like mad! I'm also planning to have a special table set up with her other books so that I can really get the word out!!

As you said in your letter...the 3-dimensional characters; complicated, inter-generational relationships...ever-unfolding plot that hinges on family secrets, and a deeply-rooted sense of place...that make her novels so wonderful! (I wish I could have come up with something like that...that's Karen in a nutshell!)

I highly recommend this for the Indie Next List!!!!"

--Lydia Hart, Westwinds Bookshop
Duxbury, MA

"I could not put it down. I finished the whole thing. It was delightful, heart-wrenching, light, funny, deep, real; in other words, everything I love in a book. The characters are warm, witty, well-developed. I found myself completely relating to Jenny's pretending to be someone else, and for that matter, I could think of times where I wished I could have done the same thing! This book is a gift. I laughed, I teared up, it was light-hearted and inspiring, and I may or may not be in love with Fish. I really loved it. I'll be recommending it to all kinds of customers, and all my girlfriends. And my mom. Can't wait to see it on the shelves!"

--Jessica Perry, Book Passage
San Francisco, CA

"Wicked Girls has the layers of a potent onion and the intricacies of a spider's web. Amber and Kirsty are raw and realistically portrayed characters; they will keep your mind reeling from the first to the last page. An excellent psychological thriller."

--Kate Dowden, Well Read Books
Jackson, CA