Louisa May Alcott once observed of an acquaintance that "she is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain." For those of us who consider books both ambrosia and nectar, how can we can we both continue to engage in our literary consumption and avoid putting our brains at undue risk? The answer lies in reconsidering Alcott's statement. Perhaps her friend was not so much too fond of books, as too fond of one particular type of book. We tell our children to eat something other than pizza, but we ourselves fall readily into reading books from nothing but our familiar favorite genres. Consider the customer browsing to the right. Though several topics are available in the display she has eyes only for The Dinosaur book. If we are all better for a change of scene and diet, how much better to return to our favorite literary pastures after a jaunt off the beaten path? Indeed, the reading group pictured below, after sixteen months in a row of reading books with canine themes, has agreed to wait until August to read the highly contentious 101 Adorable Breeds and read the new David Sedaris book first. I'm sure it will do them a world of good.
Here they are! Our weekly picks for the two best: two hardcover, two paperback, and two children's books. The very best new arrivals to leap out of the box and onto our shelves this week. Call or email us if you want more information on any of these titles, or to have us hold you a copy. Or stop in and check them out in person. We'd love to see you. Thanks as always for sharing your reading with us!
This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation
By Ehrenreich, Barbara 2008/06 -
Metropolitan Books
9780805088403 -
Hardcover
List Price $24.00 - Your Price: $19.20
Ehrenreich's new series of Reports From A Divided Nation takes aim at a target so gargantaun that it really would be shocking if she missed. Topics include "Going to Extremes: CEO's vs. Slaves, Pension or Penitentiary, Freshpersons, Welcome to Debt, Blood in the Chutney, Children Deserve Veterinary Care Too, and Who Moved My Ability to Reason." ...More
Dogs: 101 Adorable Breeds
By Hale, Rachael 2008/04 -
Andrews McMeel Publishing
9780740773426 -
Hardcover
List Price $24.99 - Your Price: $19.99
101 Adorable Breeds is sure to be controversial. It won't be controversial because the photos aren't marvelous, nor that the breeds aren't all adorable, they are. Indeed, Rachel Hale, whose previous efforts such as Snog: A Puppy's Guide To Love, and101 Salivations: For The Love Dogs, were so delightful, hasn't missed a beat here. The source of controversy will undoubtedly be the fact that the breed widely considered to be the most adorable on the planet, The American Hairless Terrier, pictured below, is not included. An American Hairless Terrier lives in our house, so I'm able to confirm the broadly held belief that the AHT represents the zenith in adorability. Apart from this strange omission 101 Adorable Breeds will please dog lovers everywhere.
...More
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
By Klein, Naomi 2008/06 -
Picador USA
9780312427993 -
Trade Paper
List Price $16.00 - Your Price: $12.80
One doesn't normally put much stock in back cover book blurbs, but when people as disparate as John Le Carre, Howard Zinn, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Ahrundati Roy, Arianna Huffington, and Seymour Hersh, are of like mind in considering Shock Doctrine one of the most important books published in recent memory, it's worth paying attention. ...More
The Snoring Bird: My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology
By Heinrich, Bernd 2008/07 -
Harper Perennial
9780060742164 -
Trade Paper
List Price $15.95 - Your Price: $12.76
This acclaimed scientific memoir by local favorite Bernd Heinrich is a fascinating account of his own development as a scientist, his father's scientific and personal exploits, and the many perilous adventures shared by his family, such as the cross continental journey begun after their escape from Poland, dodging the Soviet Army, in 1945. After spending five years in a remote cabin in Northern Germany the Heinrich's settled in Franklin County, Maine in 1952, when Bernd was eleven. As one might expect, the book is fraught with local interest from that point on....More
The Retired Kid
By Agee, Jon Agee, Jon 2008/06 -
Hyperion
9781423103141 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Karen loves this one. According to the West Wisdom, "It's funny, I like the illustrations, and it's true that sometimes kids feel like being a kid is hard. It's hard work. I love that he says 'It's been a wonderful eight years but I need a break'"...More
My Chincoteague Pony
By Jeffers, Susan Jeffers, Susan 2008/06 -
Hyperion
9781423100232 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59
Susan Jeffers' tribute to Marguerite Henry, and to Pony Penning Day is an absolute treasure. It contains a facsimile of a charming letter from Henry to Jeffers and also incorporates several true stories involving Pony Penning Day, an annual auction of ponies which have swum out to Chincoteague Island. Always a sublime artist, Jeffers' writing reaches a new level here, clearly inspired by a topic of great personal importance. ...More
June 16, 2008
I'm sure it will do them a world of good.
Apart from this strange omission 101 Adorable Breeds will please dog lovers everywhere.
