Bookmarks Late Winter 2005 - BOOKLOFT NEWSLETTER
Winter is the traditional time to relax with a good book, either curled up by the wood stove or stretched out on a sandy beach in warmer climes.
While this winter in the Wallowas is one of the mildest in recent times, luckily readers can enjoy their pursuits no matter what the weather. So here's a selection of books for you to consider as we move into the final months of winter... some favorites, some mysteries, some best sellers, andwhy nota few suggestions for the anxious gardener.
Mary's Mystery Morsels ~ Staff Picks ~ Other Recommendations
LONG TIME NO SEE by Susan Isaacs
A wealthy Long Island suburbanite has been murdered and the husband is the main suspect. Their neighbor, a history professor, is hired by the accused husband's father to try to discover what actually happened. These are the basics of the plot. But Isaacs adds interest to the story in her characters. The father is a "retired" mobster and the professor is a woman of middle age with all of the attendant problems associated with midlife. The result is a clever, witty story with interesting twists of plot. $7.99 HarperTorch
STILL LIFE WITH CROWS by Douglas Preston and Lee Child
A customer introduced me to these two authors and I am so glad he did. This is a strange and compelling can't-stop-reading thriller which features the very eccentric Special Agent Pendergast of the FBI. From the first page to the very end, this novel is relentless in its action and suspense. Set in the Midwest, it concerns a series of murders which occur in the vast corn fields of the area. The action also takes place in a turkey processing plant (you may never eat another Butterball) and in a series of caves that provide a creepy setting for a tense and scary manhunt. Don't plan on getting anything else done once you start this ripper of a novel. $7.99 Warner
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER by Julia Spencer-Fleming
One thing I like about mysteries is the sometimes unusual pairing of sleuths. This novel is a good example. The main characters are a police chief of a medium sized town in upstate New York and a woman Episcopal priest who has recently moved to the town. Both are military veterans, he a Vietnam vet and she a former helicopter pilot. The priest finds a baby left on the church steps and becomes further involved in the case when the baby's mother is found dead a few days later. As the plots develops, so does an attraction between the priest and the police chief. Spencer-Fleming does a good job of increasing the tension within the story as well as between the characters. $6.99 St. Martin's
I had the pleasure of reading the second book in this series right after this one. A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD was just as good. It deals with conflicts over a planned development near town and disturbing acts of homophobia which have taken place. Once again, the police chief and the priest become involved. As the tensions between the developers and local protesters increases, so do the acts of cruelty. As the problems seem to become tied together, the suspense in the novel builds to a very exciting ending. $6.99 St. Martin's
BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Jacqueline Winspear
A second Maisie Dobbs novel and what a treat it is! Maisie Dobbs is a psychologist and private investigator who was a nurse in World War I. Set in London and the surrounding area thirteen years after the war, this novel involves the disappearance of the daughter of a wealthy businessman. As Maisie investigates the disappearance, she discovers a connection between the missing woman and three other women who have recently been murdered. Winspear does a great job of portraying the long term effects of the great war. Maisie and her assistant Billy Beale are both working through their experiences in the war and Maisie uses these experiences to help her figure out the reason for the murders. She is a wonderful character, much like Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I miss her already and can't wait for the next installment in her adventures. $25.00 Soho Hardcover
The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
This latest novel from the author of Girl with the Pearl Earring weaves the tale of a set of bewitching medieval tapestries. A shrewd French nobleman commissions six lavish tapestries. He hires the charismatic, arrogant, and talented Nicolas des Innocents to design them. Nicolas creates havoc among the women in the house before taking his designs to Brussels where the tapestries are to be woven. There, master-weaver Georges de la Chapelle risks everything he has on finishing the tapestries on time. The results change all their lives - lives that have been captured in the tapestries, for those who know where to look. $14.00 Plume
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
More adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the remarkable proprietress of an unusual detective agency in Botswana. Still engaged to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni with no wedding date in sight, she finds him preoccupied with other things, in particular, a frightening proposition from the bossy matron of the Orphan Farm. And, of course, there is always the day-to-day business of the detective agency to occupy Mma Ramotswe's time and energy. Another winner in a great series. $11.95 Bantam-Dell
1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky
Author Kurlansky brings to life the cultural and political history of that world-changing year of social upheaval. It was the year of assassinations; the riots in Chicago; Prague Spring; the antiwar movement and the Tet Offensive; Black Power; the generation gap; and the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. Kurlansky shows how these events transformed who we were as a people, and gives a new insight into the underlying causes of the unique historical phenomenon that was the year 1968. $15.95 Random House
Already thinking of Gardening?
We have a well-stocked gardening shelf with books to inspire and inform your plantings. These titles speak for themselves:
· Seeds-The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed by Jekka McVicar
· From HarperCollins Practical Gardener Series - Kitchen Gardens - What to Grow and How to Grow It.
· Organic Gardening in Cold Climates by Sandra Perrin
Audio Books Available on CD
Right below our selection of Celtic and local musicians' CDs we have numerous best-sellers and bargain audio books such as:
Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman
Conviction by Richard North Patterson
Theory of Relativity by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman
Wild Justice by Phillip Margolin
Most are abridged and approximately six hours long. Stop by and see what's new.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can order any book mentioned in this newsletter. We will gladly take your order in person or via phone --(541) 426-3351 -- email or through this web site's order form. We can take payment in cash, check or credit card and can ship anywhere. Don't forget our free gift wrapping service for any of your purchases.
ATTENTION MUGGLES! THE NEWEST, AND LAST, HARRY POTTER ADVENTURE IS COMING JULY 16TH. CALL OR EMAIL TODAY TO PLACE YOUR ADVANCE ORDER.
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