Libraries
Library Marketing Staff Picks
Our favorite new and forthcoming books!
Jennifer Parmelee Childs Recommends:
Captain Hack. The Boy of Legend. Fiddlefix. The Bully Boys. These wonderful characters are enchantingly familiar, yet offer a charming new take on the beloved story of Peter Pan. Peter David takes the classic characters and turns them on their heads, bringing readers on a witty and engaging adventure that builds upon the original tale. Young Paul Dear, having grown up on his father's fantastic stories of pirates, pixies and wild Indians, has no trouble believing in The Anyplace, and when a family tragedy strikes, he knows he most go there to make things right. With the help of the pixie Fiddlefix, he sets off to find The Boy of Legend and encounters a fascinating world of danger and adventure where he, himself, must play the hero. In the end, he finds that he and The Boy have more in common than he could ever have imagined. This delightful tale for all ages is perfect to offer to your YA readers or to anyone who has fond memories of the original.
978-0-345-50159-2 | $22.00/$25.00C | Del Rey | HC | June 2008
Erica McDonald Recommends:
Literary-minded travelers rejoice! As I really can’t see myself ever jumping out of a plane like they did in the movie, “The Bucket List,” this book instantly became my bibliophile “bucket list.” Numerous destinations based on the wanderings and residences of my favorite authors as well as their most memorable settings and characters are presented here alongside practical travel information, fascinating facts, literary gossip, and great reading suggestions. My first literary-minded trip centered around Anne of Green Gables when my mother brought me to Prince Edward Island. I spent a semester of college in Jane Austen’s Bath, and even visited her home at Chawton in Hampshire. Next on my “bucket list” is Louisa May Alcott’s historic home in Concord, MA, where she wrote and set Little Women. Whatever your bibliophile “bucket list” includes, you are sure to find them here in Novel Destinations. Makes a great companion book for reading groups!
978-1-4262-0277-3 | $25.00/$28.00C | HC | National Geographic | May 2008
Marcia Purcell Recommends:
The Story of Forgetting: A Novel by Stefan Merrill Block
There is something unutterably sad about Alzheimer's. It's not only that it steals the essence of the person affected, leaving them a husk of their former selves—it's the devastating effect on the family members and assorted loved ones who have to deal with the disintegration, and in the process, often make wrong choices influenced by emotion. The Story of Forgetting tells the familiar yet unique story of such an extended family seen mostly through the eyes of the brilliant, misfit teenage son, Seth, working hard to make scientific sense of the chaos, and just a few miles away, a lonely old hermit, Abel, who has lost his one true love and now his way of life to the encroaching Houston suburbs. Unknown to each other, both are linked by fantastical stories told to each of them in their childhoods of a magical world called Isidora. This plot device may be found to be endearing or occasionally annoying, but there is no denying that this story, ultimately uplifting, will stay in your heart and in your mind long after you finish the last page. A remarkable and accomplished first novel.
978-1-4000-6679-7 l $24.95/$29.95C l Penguin Random House l HC l April 2008
Marie Kent Recommends:
Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America: by Donna Foote
I admit it. I considered Teach for America. I suppose you could say
it was a “Plan B” for me. But after reading this book I
realize as a “Plan B”er I never would have made it. Never
mind the rigorous admissions process involving rounds of interviews
and calculated formulas, the duties bestowed upon TFA corps members
demand nothing less than amazing tenacity and voracious devotion. Foote’s
book weaves stories of four young teachers at a South Central Los Angeles
high school with historical accounts of the birth and growth of the
organization which, since its 1990 founding, has taken on the monumental
task of closing the U.S. educational achievement gap. These corps members
represent a select few of the many thrown into the most desperate classrooms
after only one summer of intense training. This is a book that informs
as much as it challenges, addressing criticisms and spotlighting the
problems that face so many of America’s young and disadvantaged.
A humbling read not just for this former TFA enthusiast but also for
those interested in learning more about Teach for America and the discrepancies
within our country’s public education system.
978-0-307-26571-5 l $24.95 l Knopf l HC l April 2008
David Eicke Recommends:
The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen
Upon hearing what this book is about, there is no way I could’ve not picked it up. Am I a golfer? No. But I used to try. For me, this slim green volume is a cautionary tale—a lesson I must remember for when I’m bored and fifty. Like me, Carl Hiaasen gave up the game of golf early in life. He was done at age 20. I was done at around age 15, after overshooting the 17th green four consecutive times one sunshiny day in Northern Michigan and nearly destroying a sand rake. I must say, I haven’t looked back. Hiaasen, however stupidly, did. This book is the chronicle of his experiences returning to a “ruinous sport” after more than 30 years. This is the funniest book I’ve read in a long time, its one-liners, truisms, ruthless self-deprecations, and its 496 synonyms for “struck the ball badly” causing me some embarrassing snorting moments on the subway. This tremendously well-written book is a must-read for any golfer, former golfer, or any star-crossed soul considering becoming one. Not that I’m bitter.
978-0-307-26653-8 | $22.00 | Knopf | HC | May 2008
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