Update from “Desert Island Reads”

If you couldn’t make it to our evening of bookseller suggestions last week, well, you missed out on some fantastic wine, cheese, and conversation. But here is the rundown of recommendations:

Jane: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli and Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

Jen: This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper and The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

Emily: Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse and The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

Grace: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas and Northline by Willy Vlautin

There was some competition among the booksellers about which books would sell the most that evening, and I think The Slap took the honors.

We also talked about The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (did you love it or think it was totally boring?), and other all-time favorite books (Room, The Book Thief).

Thanks to all who attended!

 

Good new stuff

We’re constantly passing around galleys at the store, and some are hotter than others. Our current favorite is Hannah Pittard’s debut novel, The Fates Will Find Their Way. I don’t want to speak for everyone at the store — and my guess is that we all will like this book for different reasons — but I think one thing we’re responding to is how unique and fresh her writing is. A lot of books just feel the same right now, and this doesn’t. In a somewhat slow season for fiction, this book is exciting us.   — Jennifer

Jennifer recommends “Touch” by Alexi Zentner

This debut novel, due out in April from Norton, is poetic and moody and magical. Set in the northern town of Sawgamet, Stephen has returned to town to bury his dying mother. But he flashes back to his childhood, and the pivotal summer when Stephen’s grandfather Jeannot returned to town to find his dead wife. The snow is almost another character in the story; it’s a place where it can blizzard well into the summer, and where the river can ice over so quickly it traps people. The mythical creatures living in the woods lend a magical realism/fantasy element to the story, but it’s really steeped in love, family, and community. And it manages to be both brutal and sweet at the same time, which is a great combination. The author will be here in store reading from this book on Sunday, April 10 at 4 PM, and we’re excited to have him!

Milane recommends “Selected Stories” by William Trevor

Gathering work from Trevor’s previous four collections, this volume shows why his deceptively spare fiction has moved readers for generations.  Set in Ireland and England, Trevor’s tales are powerful even in their silences, showing the way the present is controlled by the past and the way past patterns shape the future.  His stories are timeless.

-Milane

Room

If you’ve set foot in the store anytime recently, you’ve probably heard us talk about Room. We all read it, we all loved it, and we still can’t stop talking about it. I’ve watched Jane hand-sell that book to about a hundred people, and I told her that Emma Donoghue owes her a drink, at the very least. The book works on so many different levels: plot-wise, it’s exciting. Structurally, it’s stands out as unique since it’s told from the perspective of this five year-old boy. But I think one of the things that resonated most for our staff was the mother/son relationship, which is so loving in the midst of such horror. It’s inspiring, which is what good fiction should be.

—Jennifer de la Fuente

Christmas Shopping at The Book Works!

Christmas is right around the corner! Don’t forget that we have a great selection of not only books, coffee table favorites, journals, stationery, and other great surprises!

We have great personal shopping services available and great gift bundle suggestions around the store!

Happy Holidays!

Jenn recommends “The Tiger’s Wife” by Tea Obreht

The Tiger’s Wife is set in a Balkan country after years of war and conflict. Natalia, a young doctor, is on a trip to an orphanage to provide care when she hears of her grandfather’s sudden death. In addition to the sadness she feels for the loss of her grandfather, she realizes that there is a huge mystery to where his death occurred. She found out that her grandfather had told the family that he was going to visit Natalia on her mission to an out of town orphanage, but he had not told Natalia of this. As she tries to find out more information about the whereabouts of his death, she realizes it is in a town that no one has heard of and that isn’t on the map. She tries to figure out where her grandfather was really going and what he was in search of. In the process, she is reminded of two stories that may be vital in understanding what he was doing and where he was going; the story of the deathless man, and the story of the Tiger’s Wife.

I’m not done with the book, but it’s been mysterious and a riveting family story so far. I highly recommend this book, it will be published in March 2011.

This is Tea Obreht‘s first novel. Some of her short stories have been published in The New Yorker and she has been named one of the Top 20 Best American Fiction Writers Under 40.

The Book Works is Selling Google eBooks

Press Release

December 6, 2010

Independent Bookstore The Book Works Selling Google eBooks™:

“Cloud-Based” Library and Multi-Device Access Allow Indies to Compete in Growing eBook Business.

Deccember 6, 2010: Indie bookstore customers no longer have to choose between reading digital and supporting their local bookstore – The Book Works in Del Mar, CA is now selling Google eBooks™ online at www.book-works.com. Google launched its e-book program on Monday, December 6, and is partnering with the American Booksellers Association so indie bookstores can provide an easy way for their customers to discover, read, and buy e-books at competitive prices.

“More and more of our customers are buying e-readers and are purchasing e-books,” said Lisa Stefanacci, owner of The Book Works. “But they would still rather support us than a large corporate entity. Google eBooks now allows us to remain the store of choice for our loyal customers who are reading digital, and to serve new customers.”

“This partnership with Google allows independent bookstores that are our members to better compete with corporate retailers on selection, price, and convenience,” said ABA President Michael Tucker. “It levels the playing field.”

A Google eBook is a new form of cloud-based digital book that allows readers to access their libraries on almost any device from one single repository, regardless of where the e-book was purchased. Google is offering hundreds of thousands of titles for sale, ranging from new releases and bestsellers in every category to classics in the public domain.

Because Google eBooks work with myriad devices — tablets, smartphones, computers, even most e-ink devices — consumers are free to shop from a variety of retailers rather than being bound to one retailer. This opens up a wealth of indie recommendations and bestsellers to avid e-book readers.

In addition to e-books, readers can purchase print books from the database five million titles that are available at www.book-works.com.

 

The Book Works Holiday Sale!

Because we know you can shop anywhere and you choose to shop here, The Book Works would like to say “thank you” by offering 15% off select books every Monday in December. Come do your holiday shopping, enjoy a treat at the Pannikin, and enjoy our holiday atmosphere.

Monday, December 6: 15% off all hardcover fiction

Monday, December 13: 15% off all hardcover nonfiction

Monday, December 20: 15% off all coffee table books

Monday, December 27: 15% off all children’s books

Happy Holidays to all!

Elena recommends “The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide” by John McNally

The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide by John McNally is an excellent resource for writers at all stages of their careers.  What makes this book truly unique is that McNally doesn’t pretend to have any definitive answers or tricks about how to get published or what it takes to be a writer.  Instead, he provides invaluable information about his experiences as an author and professor and allows readers to make decisions for themselves.  He uses humorous anecdotes from his own life to illustrate his points– from finding a suitable agent, to dealing with inevitable rejections– and he gives a more realistic picture of the writing life.  This book isn’t an instruction manual on how to write stories and it doesn’t provide inspirational prompts; it’s about the literary/publishing field and the reality of what it means to be a writer in this day and age, which is an invaluable resource.

-Elena