Ann Patchett's Blog, page 29
October 3, 2019
21-Book Salute! Great New Reads for the Young and Young at Heart
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Sometimes the only thing better than a new book from your favorite author is finding a captivating new series by an author you’ve never read before. This month’s staff picks have plenty of both! There are new books from perennial favorites Kate DiCamillo, Karina Yan Glaser, and Raina Telgemeier, plus all sorts of new stories to check out!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Book HogThe book hog realizes books are better when they’re shared with friends in this charming picture book.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Spencer’s New PetSpencer and his balloon dog go on an adventure in this quirky picture book about the power of imagination. Signed copies available!
Recommended by Kay
A Stone Sat StillA poetic lesson in perspective. Everything about this book is peaceful and soft and lovely.
Recommended by Chelsea
Sir Simon: Super ScarerSir Simon is the cutest ghost in the world! This book is perfect for youngsters who want to get into the season without getting scared.
Recommended by Ella
The Fate of Fausto: A Painted FableA beautiful story about a man who wants to own the world. I’m a sucker for anything Jeffers, and this book certainly continues this trend.
Recommended by Mary Cady
Seagull & Sea DragonWhat would happen if we took the time to look at things from a different perspective? This delightful tale explores just that! A storytime favorite.
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Big Book of the BlueReading this book feels like a trip to an aquarium.
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
Beverly, Right HereA beautiful conclusion to the Three Rancheros collection. A Kate DiCamillo classic in the making.
Recommended by Mary Cady
The Vanderbeekers to the RescueKarina Yan Glaser has done it again! I have lost count of how many times I’ve recommended the Vanderbeekers series, and I am delighted that there is a third book to give to curious and playful friends who love a good tale. The Vanderbeekers are my favorite family read-aloud books, by far.
Recommended by Chelsea
GutsThis book is for any child who struggles with anxiety and feels alone. I wish this had been available in my childhood!
Recommended by Chelsea
Charlie Thorne and the Last EquationCharlie is a genius who gets recruited by the CIA to help find Einstein’s final equation, and she’s 12! This novel is perfectly paced with page-turning action and adventure.
Recommended by Kevin
Lalani of the Distant SeaThis is a beautifully written adventure story about Lalani, a courageous girl who undertakes a very dangerous journey — one from which no one has ever come back alive — all to protect her family and the Sanlagati people. Along the way she meets many mystical creatures, who themselves have complicated stories.
Recommended by Chelsea
Words on FireThis is an emotional tale set in a period of history was unknown to me before: Russia’s occupation of Lithuania. When Audra’s parents are arrested for smuggling books, she has to decide how she will live up to their legacy. I especially liked the insights into Audra’s mind.
Recommended by Ella
Discovering ArchitectureBy Mila I. Bardi & Altarriba Eduard
A super-cool book showing what’s inside iconic buildings from across the world!
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Kay
Serpent & DoveA witch on the run ends up stuck in a sham marriage with a witch hunter duty-bound to kill her if her secret is exposed (if she doesn’t kill him for being an uptight jerk first). A complex web of lies, magic, and family secrets makes this one a real page-turner.
Recommended by Keltie
School TalesIt’s a common trope that high school is something we survive in order to get to real life. This book reminds us that it’s much more — it fundamentally shapes and tests who we are: our characters, paths, and beliefs. I think every teenager can relate to the five narrators in this story, set in a small town in Virginia, not unlike my own. You will cheer for these characters as they meet life on life’s terms with heart.
Recommended by Kay
PumpkinheadsBy Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks & Sarah Stern
In this YA graphic novel, Josiah has one last night to make his move on the girl he’s been pining after for years. That turns out to be a lot easier said than done as chaos descends on the pumpkin patch where they both work. A fun fall romance full of laughs and last chances.
Recommended by Jordan
Conceal, Don’t Feel: A Twisted TaleWhat if Anna and Elsa were separated at a young age and never knew each other? This alternate version of the Frozen story we all know and love will keep Disney fans on the edge of their seats.
Recommended by Jordan
I’m Not Dying with You TonightBy Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal
Unfortunate circumstances of violence and trauma bring two unlikely friends together. Lena and Campbell have nothing in common other than a desire to survive when the city goes up in flames. This suspenseful book highlights the importance of female friendships and understanding perspectives different from the ones you carry.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them AllTwo girls, one living and one ghost, in Depression era Chicago navigate love, tragedy, and an impending war in this stunning historical fantasy. Our ParnassusNext selection for September!
ParnassusNext — Our October Selection
[image error]A new novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys is always a reason to celebrate! We are thrilled to announce that her new novel, The Fountains of Silence, is our October ParnassusNext pick. The novel takes us to Madrid, Spain in 1957 at the height of a dictator’s regime. We follow four characters on difficult paths to a stunning conclusion.
The novel has received seven starred reviews. Here is some early buzz:
“A stunning novel that exposes modern fascism and elevates human resilience.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Sepetys again deftly explores a painful chapter in history… This gripping, often haunting historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Riveting … epic. An exemplary work of historical fiction.” —The Horn Book (starred review)
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
And don’t miss these great YA events!
The Fierce Reads Tour featuring L.L. McKinney, Margaret Owen, Sara Faring, and Katy Rose Pool — Friday, October 4 at 6:30pm
YA author event with Nic Stone, author of Jackpot — Thursday, October 24 at 6:30pm
October 1, 2019
Parnassus Staff Goes Dutch, Plus Two Dozen Great New Reads
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October has arrived, which means at least two things: the Southern Festival of Books will soon be here in all its book-nerd glory (see more on that below); and it’s time once again for our booksellers to offer up a fresh harvest of new reads. From sweeping novels to poetry, essays to literally just pictures of cute animals, you’ve got a new favorite waiting for you!
Recommended by Everyone
The Dutch HouseAs you might have guessed, everyone here at Parnassus loved The Dutch House. If you visit the store, you can find a whole wall of staff picks. Here is just a tiny sampling: Mary Laura says it “might just be the Patchett-est of all Patchett novels”; Cat adds, “The magic of Ann’s books is that she always get to the heart of some essential human connection in a way that is wholly unique yet relatable. The Dutch House is no different and you won’t be able to put it down. I couldn’t”; Sissy enthuses, “The brother and sister in this book began to feel like family — I just did not want it to end”; Jackie calls it “simply fantastic”; Niki says, “It’s really, really good. Please just trust us on this one.” Or, trust head shop dog Opie, who calls it “a tasty treat from Sparky’s mom.”
Recommended by Ann
The TestamentsYes! It’s as good as everyone says it is! It’s thrilling, scary, weirdly funny, incredibly insightful, and you don’t have to read (or reread, or watch the Hulu series) The Handmaid’s Tale in order to understand what’s going on. I loved it.
Recommended by Karen
Red at the BoneI’m always so amazed at the complexity of Woodson’s characters when her language is so spare. What a beautiful book.
Don’t miss Jacqueline Woodson at the store for a Salon@615 event on Thursday, Oct. 10!
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Giver of StarsBy Jojo Moyes
The Giver of Stars is an emotional story of friendship, resilience, and humanity. The book follows a group of strong women breaking down barriers and changing the lives of their community as members of the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. Heart-wrenching and uplifting.
Don’t miss Jojo Moyes at MBA for a Salon@615 event on Tuesday, Oct. 15!
Recommended by Nell
Night Boat to TangierBy Kevin Barry
Two middle-aged Irishmen, drug runners, wait at a Spanish port for someone who may or may not arrive. Inevitable comparisons to Samuel Beckett aside, this musical novel puts beautiful language to very ugly deeds, and it examines their consequences as a jeweler might inspect the facets of a gemstone.
Recommended by Rae Ann
The World That We KnewAlice Hoffman tells a unique World War II story of the human and the mystical. The World That We Knew is the journey of three women trying to survive in a world where the Angel of Death follows their steps, love means sacrifice, and connection is everything.
Recommended by Keltie
FrankisssteinA fantastical romantic tale interweaving the story of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and a modern day transsexual, Ry, who is slowly being drawn into the public and secret worlds of Artificial Intelligence. Frankissstein is a mesmerizing and utterly original creation — with brilliant subtle underpinnings of big philosophical questions: What is life? What is love? Who decides?
Recommended by Cat
AkinA retired professor becomes caretaker to a great-nephew he hardly knows just days before the professor embarks on his first trip to his native Nice since leaving at the start of WWII. Naturally, the kid comes along and what follows is one of the best stories of bonding and trying to understand someone who is quite different from you that I have ever read. It doesn’t hurt that the kid is insanely hilarious.
Recommended by Sissy
The Warlow ExperimentBy Alix Nathan
Think you’re the ultimate introvert? This guy pays a man to be locked in his basement for 7 years to prove people don’t really need other people. It does not go well. Set in an English manor house in 1793, the novel explores the themes of freedom and who deserves it — themes very relevant today.
Recommended by Kay
The Ten Thousand Doors of JanuaryThis story of magic doors and wandering hearts is written in beautiful, lyrical prose that leaves each page feeling more dazzling than the last. These are words to get lost in.
Recommended by Kathy
Out of Darkness, Shining LightThe fictional account of slaves who carried the body of their beloved master, explorer David Livingstone, across Africa to be buried in England. The voices of Halima and Jacob make this an unforgettable story.
Recommended by Kathy
The Flight PortfolioAre you brave enough to pick up this long book? It’s so worth your time with its gorgeous writing, unforgettable characters and compelling, suspenseful story based on true events from WWII.
Recommended by Sissy
PursuitA young bride steps into traffic the day after her wedding — why? What secrets did she have? I love Oates’s style but this book in particular seemed like a nod to Shirley Jackson.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Kim
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best LifeBy Ali Wong
Hilarious. If you love Ali Wong and her stand up specials and movie, you’ll love this book. It’s written as letters to her daughters, but it’s still her brand of raunchy and funny. I laughed through the whole thing.
Recommended by Ben
Make It Scream, Make It Burn: EssaysThese essays blend journalism and memoir, running the gamut from Blue 52 (the “loneliest whale in the world”) to what Las Vegas’ architecture has to say about constructing a marriage. Jamison’s personal life is always at the surface as she explores the nuance of desire and memory, longing and loss, connection and separation, the distances between us and the bridges we build to reach each other.
Recommended by Keltie
How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom from a Life Lived in NatureBy Marc Hamer
Hamer writes of his life in the hidden tunnels and frosty fields of Wales with the spirituality of Wendell Berry, and heart of Helen MacDonald. “Life is rarely as neat and tidy as we would like. I prefer it that way. Reason is just one of the many important ways of experiencing the world.” He is much-sought after as a mole-killer, but finally lays down arms against his beloved enemy. May he not lay down his pen.
Recommended by Mary Laura
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished EducationIt’s 100% worth the cover price to get the first essay, “What We Pack,” about Crucet and her family’s bewildering experiences as she embarked on her first year at Cornell as both a first-generation American and first-generation college student. As a bonus, you get the rest of the book — a sharply observed, deeply felt collection about family, belonging, work, love, and so much more.
Recommended by Jackie
Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World: The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New YorkBy Tom Roston
This is an absolutely fascinating study of the Windows on the World restaurant. It delves into the history of New York, the creation of the World Trade Center, and the iconic restaurant at the top. The stories about the lives of those who worked there over the years — waiters, cooks, chefs, management, the sommelier — were just riveting.
Recommended by Keltie
Toil & Trouble: A MemoirSpoiler alert: Augusten Burroughs is a witch. As with his best-selling memoir Running with Scissors, the premise seems implausible. And like Dry (which I consider the best rehab memoir out there), his wicked sense of humor and deadpan delivery makes you believe every outlandish word. I am 100% certain that Augusten is a witch. Read it and see if you agree. At the very least, you’re going to laugh.
Recommended by Jordan
Things We Didn’t Talk about When I Was a Girl: A MemoirPart memoir and part true crime record, this book expands on the #MeToo discussion and the confusion and betrayal felt when a rapist was someone you knew, loved, and trusted. Vanasco wrote this memoir in real time as she was struck with the ideas behind it and worked up the courage to contact “Mark,” her high school best friend who she fell out of touch with after he raped her 14 years prior. The fair yet honest and relentless approach of the victim makes this an important story.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to SelfBy Liana Finck
Liana Finck puts the absurd and the profound into a cocktail shaker, mixes them up, and serves them up on the page in the form of these brilliant cartoons. I laughed aloud more times than I can count — and also put my hand on my heart in recognition of the more melancholy sentiments. She’s a genius.
Recommended by Sissy
Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative FictionBy Lisa Kröger, Melanie R. Anderson
This is no dry textbook — I felt like I was back in a beloved teacher’s classroom again while reading it! Authors I’d forgotten once I was out of school came back to life. I cannot wait to revisit old favorites and find new ones.
Recommended by Andy
The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the ConstitutionBy Eric Foner
Eric Foner, a leading historian of the Reconstruction period, examines what it means to be a citizen. The Pulitzer Prize winner examines the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and the rights they attribute. “Reconstruction remains a part of our lives,” he argues. Who is entitled to citizenship? Who should enjoy the right to vote? What should be the balance of power between states and federal government? All questions as pertinent today as they were in 1877.
Recommended by Ginger
This Book Is Literally Just Pictures of Cute Animals That Will Make You Feel BetterBy Smith Street Books (Editor)
The title says it all! This book is wonderful and happy. A great addition to your nightstand or coffee table.
POETRY
Recommended by Ben
Clearing Space in the Middle of BeingBy Jeff Hardin
These poems are enchanting, full of tiny epiphanies, reveling in mystery. Hardin doesn’t jump to conclusions, but he is so attentive to the natural world around him, meandering toward revelation through the ambiguous and transient. How many poets do you know who effortlessly leap from R.E.M. to the Apostle Paul in the span of two lines? These are poems to pause over and drink deeply from.
First Editions Club: October Selection
The Shadow King
Along with so many other readers, I am deeply in love with historical fiction. Knowing that a well-written story, even if it’s fictional, lives within a real time and place is one of the best discoveries a bookish kid can make. (Shout-out to the Dear America series that comprised the bulk of my reading in the fourth grade.) Surely this is one reason book clubs are consistently drawn to historical fiction for their discussions. So many of these books focus on telling the lesser-known stories that took place just below the surface well-known moments in history — librarians in war zones or women who married famous men and lived fascinating lives. Stories that deserve to be told and talked about.
But what about big moments in history that never quite made it into history books in the U.S.? And what about the even lesser-known stories within those moments? This is a territory where some serious magic can happen. And here is where The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste shines.
The Shadow King transports us to Ethiopia during WWII. Italy is invading and Emperor Haile Selassie is forced to flee the capital of Addis Ababa for refuge in England. While the Emperor is an active character in Mengiste’s novel, along with an Italian soldier/photographer, the real heroine is Hirut, an orphan now living as a maid in a noble household. As war encroaches, the women become just as instrumental as the men in the battles ahead. As Maaza Mengiste says herself in the author’s note, “Women have been there, we are here now.” This is not only a deeply compelling story, masterfully told, with gorgeous lyrical prose to boot. It’s an important one, too — the product of both meticulous research and great imagination.
Yours in reading,
Catherine Bock
Inventory Manager
More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.
“It’s all about the book.” More thoughts on reading from Kathy Schultenover, Parnassus Book Clubs Manager:
It’s October, month of pumpkins, fall leaves, cooler weather, and Southern Festival of Books, this year October 11-13. What a wonderful weekend it is — full of author talks, panel discussions and children’s events, a great place for any reader or book club to sample the latest offerings in the literary world. This year we at Parnassus Books are very proud and excited to have five current or former staff members who are featured at the festival:
Ann Patchett (co-owner) — The Dutch House
River Jordan (bookseller) — Confessions of a Christian Mystic
Mary Laura Philpott (founding editor of Musing) — I Miss You When I Blink
Heidi Ross (former bookseller, sidelines buyer and merchandiser) — Nashville: Scenes from the New American South
Courtney Stevens (bookseller) — Four, Three, Two, One
There are also lots of book club favorites back with new books this year:
Karen Abbott (Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, 2014) — The Ghosts of Eden Park
Louis Bayard (The Pale Blue Eye, 2006) — Courting Mr. Lincoln
Melanie Benjamin (The Aviator’s Wife, 2013) — Mistress of the Ritz
Tara Conklin (The House Girl, 2013) — The Last Romantics
Ottessa Moshfegh (Eileen, 2015) — My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Julie Orringer (The Invisible Bridge, 2010) — The Flight Portfolio
Chris Pavone (The Expats, 2012) — The Paris Diversion
Paul Theroux (Deep South, 2015) — On the Plain of Snakes
Karen Thompson Walker (The Age of Miracles, 2012) — The Dreamers
This is only a partial list of the many authors scheduled to appear. Be sure to check out the local writers as well as those with first books, all who want to share their work with you. Come with your book group friends and make the most of this fascinating weekend.
[image error]Parnassus Book Club — Upcoming Meeting Schedule
October — Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Monday, October 14 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30pm
Thursday, October 17 at 10am
November — Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Monday, November 18 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, November 20 at 6:30pm
Thursday, November 21 at 10am
Classics Club — The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Monday, December 2 at 10am and 6:30pm
Are you a member of our store book club? Would you like to be? Parnassus Book Club and Classics Club meetings are free and open to anyone. Buy the book, read along, and join the discussion!
September 23, 2019
“Something I’d Always Been Doing But Had Never Put into Words” — Ann Patchett on Her New Novel, The Dutch House
Here at Parnassus, booksellers have passed around an early copy of Ann Patchett’s eighth novel so many times it’s starting to fall apart, which tells you something about how excited we are to hold the real thing in our hands at last. The Dutch House, which follows one fractured family over several decades as the years pile on both joy and heartbreak, is a testament to sibling bonds as well as a meditation on familial responsibility. Without spoiling too many twists and turns, here’s a brief overview of who’s who:
Danny Conroy and his sister Maeve spend their early years in a Philadelphia mansion that was a gift from their father, Cyril, to their mother, Elna. But when Danny is three and Maeve is ten, Elna leaves, abandoning her children to Cyril’s care for reasons they don’t understand. It’s only a few years until Cyril remarries, bringing into the family a stepmother, Andrea, who also comes with two girls of her own (and has no interest in parenting four children). His beloved big sister was already the center of Danny’s universe, but as they enter adolescence, Maeve becomes his surrogate caretaker, too. The next four decades reveal how Maeve and Danny are shaped by the absence of their mother and the loving presence of one another, and how each fares differently in the wake of their childhood loss.
In Patchett’s elegant prose, these characters come to life and The Dutch House becomes an immersive, unforgettable reading experience — a book that deserves to be savored, page by page. (For a free preview, read the first 12 pages of the book here.)
If you’re in Nashville, head to Montgomery Bell Academy tonight, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, at 6:15pm, for a Salon@615 book launch celebration and signing. The Dutch House is available in stores everywhere tomorrow, and Patchett’s tour will continue along upcoming stops in both the U.S. and the U.K. Meanwhile, here’s a conversation between Ann Patchett and I Miss You When I Blink author Mary Laura Philpott about the origins of this memorable story.
[image error]“I love Noah’s painting so much. Every single day I’m moved by it. I love the fact that the cover is really part of the book. It feels more like a collaboration than a cover. I keep hearing from people who say, ‘I really liked your novel, but that cover is the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen.’ It’s true. I’m hoping everyone judges this book by its cover.” Cover art by Noah Saterstrom.
Mary Laura Philpott: Let’s begin where this book started for you. Who or what arrived in your brain first: Danny? Maeve? The house? A little snippet of a scene?
Ann Patchett: Two things happened very close together. One was interviewing Zadie Smith for Swing Time and talking about autobiographical novels. She was saying that autobiographical fiction didn’t have to be about what happened — it could be about what you were afraid might happen. She said the character of the mother in Swing Time was autobiographical because that was the mother she didn’t want to be. I thought that was brilliant. It explained something I’d always been doing but had never put into words. I adore Zadie Smith. At that moment, sitting on a stage with her at Belmont University, I thought, I want to write a book about the kind of stepmother I don’t want to be.
The other thing was the presidential election, and what felt like a celebration of extreme wealth. I wanted a book about someone who didn’t want to be rich. It’s funny to me when people say my work isn’t political because everything feels political to me these days.
Those were the opening ideas. The book went in many different directions after that.
MLP: Then I say unto Zadie Smith, as I have said aloud many times while reading her books: “Thank you, Zadie.” What a fantastic story prompt. How did you know, then, that the story needed to be told from Danny’s perspective? Did you ever consider telling it from Maeve’s point of view, or in third-person?
AP: Maeve is so at the center of everything. The whole time I was writing this book I was planning on calling it Maeve. I never thought of telling the story from her point of view because I wanted to be able to see her from a distance. I knew I wanted to try writing in first person after being away from it for so many years (my first two novels are in first person), so I went into the story with that in mind. Danny was the only logical choice.
I pity my poor publicist whose responsibility it is to make every book seem NEW. All she had to work with in this case was “Patchett’s first first-person novel in twenty-five years” or something like that, which doesn’t exactly set the world on fire.
MLP: Oh, I didn’t realize it was ever going to be called something else. I do remember asking you how it was going one day in the office, and you said, “I don’t want to talk about it,” and started to walk out of the room. Then you walked back in and said, “I threw the whole thing away.” Did you really start all the way over?
AP: I did and I didn’t. I threw it out, started all the way over about ten times, couldn’t get it, and then was advised to try and make sense out of the opening I already had since I liked the opening. It wound up being the same people, the same house, the same general idea, but a very different story. No one read the first version except me, which is a huge relief. It was awful.
It was a funny thing to throw a book out. People seemed much more upset about it than I was. Some people said, It must be like a death! It was nothing like a death. It was like burning a cake. You know that feeling? Oh, hell, I burned the cake. Then you cut the cake open and eat the little pieces in the middle that aren’t completely ruined, then you bake another cake. It’s not what anyone wishes for, and it’s hardly the end of the world.
MLP: I bet it’s encouraging to beginning writers to know that even Ann Patchett sometimes burns the cake. I’m thinking maybe we could sell motivational posters that read, “Oh hell, I burned the cake.” Or pencils.
AP: Or cake mix.
MLP: As Danny matures, he does a lot of thinking about what he can and can’t opt out of as a son, a husband, and a brother. This line hit me hard: “The point wasn’t whether or not I liked it. The point was it had to be done.” He seems to be saying that when it comes to family, some obligations transcend anger or forgiveness. Do you think that’s something most people come to realize at a certain age?
AP: I think there are many people who don’t ever realize that. It seems to me to be an old-fashioned sentiment. I hope I’m wrong about that. Danny learns his lesson in chemistry class — you just have to buckle down and do it. He pretty much carries that throughout his life.
MLP: Several of the characters here are struggling to let go of something that weighs them down or hurts them — a habit, a place, a resentment. (Every time Maeve, who is diabetic, lit a cigarette, I’d say, “Stop that!” at the book.) What do you think it is about human nature that makes people cling to things they know are no longer good for them?
AP: Oh, Mary Laura, if I knew the answer to that one I’d be very holy indeed. Why do we repeat harmful patterns? Why do we cling to the familiar when the familiar is so destructive? NO CLUE. I haven’t had a cigarette in fifteen years and still there are moments of extreme stress when something in my brain says, This is suffering that could only be soothed by a Winston. I don’t do it, but I think about doing it. Do you have that thing?
MLP: Oh, totally. Sometimes a bad habit stays with you so long, it almost becomes a companion. I thought about that with Danny and Maeve and their grudge toward their stepmother, Andrea. I mean, she absolutely earns that grudge, but to carry a grudge is such a painful, weighty experience, and for years, they live with that emotional burden.
[image error]“I blurbed Tom Hanks’s short story collection, Uncommon Type, then I was asked to interview him on stage in D.C., and then we struck up a small friendship. If you think he must be the nicest guy in the world, you’d be right. I don’t know which is more shocking, that I had the nerve to ask him if he’d record the audio for The Dutch House or that he said yes.” Listen to the audiobook, narrated by actor Tom Hanks, on Libro.fm.
AP: Yeah, I think the equation is: I am hurt. How might I hurt myself more?
MLP: I wonder if you think of Commonwealth and The Dutch House as book-siblings? They cover some of the same thematic territory: the unique bond of brothers and sisters, what we’re willing to forgive, who’s to blame when a family breaks apart and whether there’s any point in assigning blame at all …
AP: I think Commonwealth and The Dutch House are cousins. Maybe second cousins. They aren’t the same but they’re deeply related. I feel that way about Run and State of Wonder, too. Sometimes I just don’t get things worked out in one book and the things I’m wrestling with carry forward.
MLP: Now you’ve got me thinking of something Danny says — that the story of his sister is “the only one I was ever meant to tell.” Do you feel like there’s a particular story you’re meant to tell?
AP: No, that doesn’t extrapolate out to me. I have lots of stories to tell. I’m pretty good at finding stories at this point. Many things interest me.
Still haven’t ordered your signed or personalized copy of The Dutch House? Get it here!
September 10, 2019
The Dutch House: An Excerpt From the New Novel by Ann Patchett
The first time our father brought Andrea to the Dutch House, Sandy, our housekeeper, came to my sister’s room and told us to come downstairs. “Your father has a friend he wants you to meet,” she said.
“Is it a work friend?” Maeve asked. She was older and so had a more complex understanding of friendship.
Sandy considered the question. “I’d say not. Where’s your brother?”
“Window seat,” Maeve said.
Sandy had to pull the draperies back to find me. “Why do you have to close the drapes?”
I was reading. “Privacy,” I said, though at eight I had no notion of privacy. I liked the word, and I liked the boxed-in feel the draperies gave when they were closed.
As for the visitor, it was a mystery. Our father didn’t have friends, at least not the kind who came to the house late on a Saturday afternoon. I left my secret spot and went to the top of the stairs to lie down on the rug that covered the landing. I knew from experience I could see into the drawing room by looking between the newel post and first baluster if I was on the floor. There was our father in front of the fireplace with a woman, and from what I could tell they were studying the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. VanHoebeek. I got up and went back to my sister’s room to make my report.
“It’s a woman,” I said to Maeve. Sandy would have known this already.
Sandy asked me if I’d brushed my teeth, by which she meant had I brushed them that morning. No one brushed their teeth at four o’clock in the afternoon. Sandy had to do everything herself because Jocelyn had Saturdays off. Sandy would have laid the fire and answered the door and offered drinks and, on top of all of that, was now responsible for my teeth. Sandy was off on Mondays. Sandy and Jocelyn were both off on Sundays because my father didn’t think people should be made to work on Sundays.
“I did,” I said, because I probably had.
“Do it again,” she said. “And brush your hair.”
The last part she meant for my sister, whose hair was long and black and as thick as ten horse tails tied together. No amount of brushing ever made it look brushed.
Once we were deemed presentable, Maeve and I went downstairs and stood beneath the wide archway of the foyer, watching our father and Andrea watch the VanHoebeeks. They didn’t notice us, or they didn’t acknowledge us—hard to say—and so we waited. Maeve and I knew how to be quiet in the house, a habit born of trying not to irritate our father, though it irritated him more when he felt we were sneaking up on him. He was wearing his blue suit. He never wore a suit on Saturdays. For the first time I could see that his hair was starting to gray in the back. Standing next to Andrea, he looked even taller than he was.
“It must be a comfort, having them with you,” Andrea said to him, not of his children but of his paintings. Mr. and Mrs. VanHoebeek, who had no first names that I had ever heard, were old in their portraits but not entirely ancient. They both dressed in black and stood with an erect formality that spoke of another time. Even in their separate frames they were so together, so married, I always thought it must have been one large painting that someone cut in half. Andrea’s head tilted back to study those four cunning eyes that appeared to follow a boy with disapproval no matter which of the sofas he chose to sit on. Maeve, silent, stuck her finger in between my ribs to make me yelp but I held on to myself. We had not yet been introduced to Andrea, who, from the back, looked small and neat in her belted dress, a dark hat no bigger than a saucer pinned over a twist of pale hair. Having been schooled by nuns, I knew better than to embarrass a guest by laughing. Andrea would have had no way of knowing that the people in the paintings had come with the house, that everything in the house had come with the house.
The drawing-room VanHoebeeks were the show-stoppers, life-sized documentation of people worn by time, their stern and unlovely faces rendered with Dutch exactitude and a distinctly Dutch understanding of light, but there were dozens of other lesser portraits on every floor—their children in the hallways, their ancestors in the bedrooms, the unnamed people they’d admired scattered throughout. There was also one portrait of Maeve when she was ten, and while it wasn’t nearly as big as the paintings of the VanHoebeeks, it was every bit as good. My father had brought in a famous artist from Chicago on the train. As the story goes, he was supposed to paint our mother, but our mother, who hadn’t been told that the painter was coming to stay in our house for two weeks, refused to sit, and so he painted Maeve instead. When the portrait was finished and framed, my father hung it in the drawing room right across from the VanHoebeeks. Maeve liked to say that was where she learned to stare people down.
“Danny,” my father said when finally he turned, looking like he expected us to be exactly where we were. “Come say hello to Mrs. Smith.”
I will always believe that Andrea’s face fell for an instant when she looked at Maeve and me. Even if my father hadn’t mentioned his children, she would have known he had them. Everyone in Elkins Park knew what went on in the Dutch House. Maybe she thought we would stay upstairs. She’d come to see the house, after all, not the children. Or maybe the look on Andrea’s face was just for Maeve, who, at fifteen and in her tennis shoes, was already a head taller than Andrea in her heels. Maeve had been inclined to slouch when it first became apparent she was going to be taller than all the other girls in her class and most of the boys, and our father was relentless in his correction of her posture. Head-up-shoulders-back might as well have been her name. For years he thumped her between the shoulder blades with the flat of his palm whenever he passed her in a room, the unintended consequence of which was that Maeve now stood like a soldier in the queen’s court, or like the queen herself. Even I could see how she might have been intimidating: her height, the shining black wall of hair, the way she would lower her eyes to look at a person rather than bend her neck. But at eight I was still comfortably smaller than the woman our father would later marry. I held out my hand to shake her little hand and said my name, then Maeve did the same. Though the story will be remembered that Maeve and Andrea were at odds right from the start, that wasn’t true. Maeve was perfectly fair and polite when they met, and she remained fair and polite until doing so was no longer possible.
“How do you do?” Maeve said, and Andrea replied that she was very well.
Andrea was well. Of course she was. It had been Andrea’s goal for years to get inside the house, to loop her arm through our father’s arm when going up the wide stone steps and across the red-tiled terrace. She was the first woman our father had brought home since our mother left, though Maeve told me that he had had something going with our nanny for a while, an Irish girl named Fiona.
“You think he was sleeping with Fluffy?” I asked her. Fluffy was what we called Fiona when we were children, partly because I had a hard time with the name Fiona and partly because of the soft waves of red hair that fell down her back in a transfixing cloud. The news of this affair came to me as most information did: many years after the fact, in a car parked outside the Dutch House with my sister.
“Either that or she cleaned his room in the middle of the night,” Maeve said.
My father and Fluffy in flagrante delicto. I shook my head. “Can’t picture it.”
“You shouldn’t try to picture it. God, Danny, that’s disgusting. Anyway, you were practically a baby during the Fluffy administration. I’m surprised you’d even remember her.”
But Fluffy had hit me with a wooden spoon when I was four years old. I still have a small scar in the shape of a golf club beside my left eye—the mark of Fluffy, Maeve called it. Fluffy claimed she’d been cooking a pot of applesauce when I startled her by grabbing her skirt. She said she was trying to get me away from the stove and had certainly never meant to hit me, though I’d think it would be hard to accidentally hit a child in the face with a spoon. The story was only interesting insofar as it was my first distinct memory—of another person or the Dutch House or my own life. I didn’t have a single memory of our mother, but I remembered Fluffy’s spoon cracking into the side of my head. I remembered Maeve, who had been down the hall when I screamed, flying into the kitchen the way the deer would fly across the hedgerow at the back of the property. She threw herself into Fluffy, knocking her into the stove, the blue flames leaping as the boiling pot of applesauce crashed to the floor so that we were all burned in pinpoint splatters. I was sent to the doctor’s office for six stitches and Maeve’s hand was wrapped and Fluffy was dismissed, even though I could remember her crying and saying how sorry she was, how it was only an accident. She didn’t want to go. That was our father’s other relationship according to my sister, and she should know, because if I was four when I got that scar then she was already eleven.
As it happened, Fluffy’s parents had worked for the VanHoebeeks as their driver and cook. Fluffy had spent her childhood in the Dutch House, or in the small apartment over the garage, so I had to wonder, when her name came up again after so many years, where she would have gone when she was told to leave.
Fluffy was the only person in the house who had known the VanHoebeeks. Not even our father had met them, though we sat on their chairs and slept in their beds and ate our meals off their delftware. The VanHoebeeks weren’t the story, but in a sense the house was the story, and it was their house. They had made their fortune in the wholesale distribution of cigarettes, a lucky business Mr. VanHoebeek had entered into just before the start of the First World War. Cigarettes were given to soldiers in the field for purposes of morale, and the habit followed them home to celebrate a decade of prosperity. The VanHoebeeks, richer by the hour, commissioned a house to be built on what was then farmland outside of Philadelphia.
The stunning success of the house could be attributed to the architect, though by the time I thought to go looking I could find no other extant examples of his work. It could be that one or both of those dour VanHoebeeks had been some sort of aesthetic visionary, or that the property inspired a marvel beyond what any of them had imagined, or that America after the First World War was teeming with craftsmen who worked to standards long since abandoned. Whatever the explanation, the house they wound up with—the house we later wound up with—was a singular confluence of talent and luck. I can’t explain how a house that was three stories high could seem like just the right amount of space, but it did. Or maybe it would be better to say that it was too much of a house for anyone, an immense and ridiculous waste, but that we never wanted it to be different. The Dutch House, as it came to be known in Elkins Park and Jenkintown and Glenside and all the way to Philadelphia, referred not to the house’s architecture but to its inhabitants. The Dutch House was the place where those Dutch people with the unpronounceable name lived. Seen from certain vantage points of distance, it appeared to float several inches above the hill it sat on. The panes of glass that surrounded the glass front doors were as big as storefront windows and held in place by wrought-iron vines. The windows both took in the sun and reflected it back across the wide lawn. Maybe it was neoclassical, though with a simplicity in the lines that came closer to Mediterranean or French, and while it was not Dutch, the blue delft mantels in the drawing room, library, and master bedroom were said to have been pried out of a castle in Utrecht and sold to the VanHoebeeks to pay a prince’s gambling debts. The house, complete with mantels, had been finished in 1922.
“They had seven good years before the bankers started jumping out of windows,” Maeve said, giving our predecessors their place in history.
The first I ever heard of the property that had been sold off was that first day Andrea came to the house. She followed our father to the foyer and was looking out at the front lawn.
“It’s so much glass,” Andrea said, as if making a calculation to see if the glass could be changed, swapped out for an actual wall. “Don’t you worry about people looking in?”
Not only could you see into the Dutch House, you could see straight through it. The house was shortened in the middle, and the deep foyer led directly into what we called the observatory, which had a wall of windows facing the backyard. From the driveway you could let your eye go up the front steps, across the terrace, through the front doors, across the long marble floor of the foyer, through the observatory, and catch sight of the lilacs waving obliviously in the garden behind the house.
Our father glanced towards the ceiling and then to either side of the door, as if he were just now considering this. “We’re far enough from the street,” he said. On this May afternoon, the wall of linden trees that ran along the property line was thick with leaves, and the slant of green lawn where I rolled like a dog in the summers was both deep and wide.
“But at night,” Andrea said, her voice concerned. “I wonder if there wouldn’t be some way to hang drapes.”
Drapes to block the view struck me not only as impossible but the single stupidest idea I’d ever heard.
“You’ve seen us at night?” Maeve asked.
“You have to remember the land that was here when they built the place,” our father said, speaking over Maeve. “There were more than two hundred acres. The property went all the way to Melrose Park.”
“But why would they have sold it?” Suddenly Andrea could see how much more sense the house would have made had there been no other houses. The sight line should have gone far past the slope of the lawn, past the peony beds and the roses. The eye was meant to travel down a wide valley and bank into a forest, so that even if the VanHoebeeks or one of their guests were to look out a window from the ballroom at night, the only light they’d see would be starlight. There wasn’t a street back then, there wasn’t a neighborhood, though now both the street and the Buchsbaums’ house across the street were perfectly visible in the winter when the leaves came off the trees.
“Money,” Maeve said.
“Money,” our father said, nodding. It wasn’t a complicated idea. Even at eight I was able to figure it out.
“But they were wrong,” Andrea said. There was a tightness around her mouth. “Think about how beautiful this place must have been. They should have had more respect, if you ask me. The house is a piece of art.”
And then I did laugh, because what I understood Andrea to say was that the VanHoebeeks should have asked her before they sold the land. My father, irritated, told Maeve to take me upstairs, as if I might have forgotten the way.
Ready-made cigarettes lined up in their cartons were a luxury for the rich, as were acres never walked on by the people who owned them. Bit by bit the land was shaved away from the house. The demise of the estate was a matter of public record, history recorded in property deeds. Parcels were sold to pay debts—ten acres, then fifty, then twenty-eight. Elkins Park came closer and closer to the door. In this way the VanHoebeek family made it through the Depression, only to have Mr. VanHoebeek die of pneumonia in 1940. One VanHoebeek boy died in childhood and the two older sons died in the war. Mrs. VanHoebeek died in 1945 when there was nothing left to sell but the side yard. The house and all it contained went back to the bank, dust to dust.
Fluffy stayed behind courtesy of the Pennsylvania Savings and Loan, and was paid a small stipend to manage the property. Fluffy’s parents were dead, or maybe they had found other jobs. At any rate, she lived alone above the garage, checking the house every day to make sure the roof wasn’t leaking and the pipes hadn’t burst. She cut a straight path from the garage to the front doors with a push mower and let the rest of the lawn grow wild. She picked the fruit from the trees that were left near the back of the house and made apple butter and canned the peaches for winter. By the time our father bought the place in 1946, raccoons had taken over the ballroom and chewed into the wiring. Fluffy went into the house only when the sun was straight overhead, the very hour when all nocturnal animals were piled up together and fast asleep. The miracle was they didn’t burn the place down. The raccoons were eventually captured and disposed of, but they left behind their fleas and the fleas sifted into everything. Maeve said her earliest memories of life in the house were of scratching, and of how Fluffy dotted each welt with a Q-tip dipped in calamine lotion. My parents had hired Fluffy to be my sister’s nanny.
[image error]Photo by Heidi Ross
Excerpted from The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Copyright © 2019 by Ann Patchett. Reprinted courtesy of Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels and three works of nonfiction. She is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, England’s Orange Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Karl, and their dog, Sparky.
See Ann Patchett at a Salon@615 event on Monday, Sept. 23, at 6:15pm at Montgomery Bell Academy. Free tickets can be reserved here.
Audiobook Preview
The audiobook edition of The Dutch House is narrated by Tom Hanks! Listen to a preview here:
https://musingalt.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/the-dutch-house.mp3
A reminder: Buying audiobooks through our partner Libro.FM supports independent bookstores.
September 5, 2019
Lucky 13: New Books for the Young and Young at Heart
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It’s been a month (or so), and maybe you’ve got that whole school-homework-extracurriculars routine somewhat mostly under control. Well, that can only mean one thing: Now you know exactly how and when to carve out a little more just-for-fun reading time! We’ve rounded up some of our favorites for you — and don’t miss some kid-friendly events down at the end of this post!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
The ScarecrowBy Beth Ferry & The Fan Brothers (illustrators)
Scary scarecrow steps out of his comfort zone to rescue a baby crow. Their differences don’t stand in the way of a new friendship that lasts through the seasons.
Recommended by Kay
I Thought I Saw a Bear!By Templar Books & Lydia Nichols (Illustrator)
Each book in this series features cute critters and clever interactive elements. It’s a game of hide-and-seek you can carry with you anywhere!
Recommended by Chelsea
What Happens NextBy Susan Hughes & Carey Sookocheff (Illustrator)
Told in a striking narrative form, What Happens Next is an unexpectedly perfect back-to-school book and is especially important for kids who may feel like outsiders. The resolution between bullied and bully is hopeful, honest, and empathetic.
Recommended by Kay
Why?The simple “Why?” can be one of the smallest questions, but also one of the biggest. This beautiful, simple story shows us that asking the question is always OK, but so is not always having the answer.
Recommended by Jackie
The Atlas of Fairy TalesEach classic fairy tale is followed by a map the reader can use to trace the journey of the characters.
Recommended by Jackie
Spot & DotThere is so much to see in the black and white illustrations of this wordless picture book. Follow Spot the cat as she chases Dot the dog around the city and back home. Beautiful and intricate detailed illustrations encourage the reader to linger over each page.
Recommended by Jackie
When the Stars Come Out: Exploring the Magic and Mysteries of the NighttimeBy Nicola Edwards & Lucy Cartwright (Illustrator)
This is a fascinating look at the science, history, and folklore of the night. Interesting facts about the stars, the moon, animals and people at night, sleep, and night celebrations would be perfect to browse through at bedtime.
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
All the Impossible ThingsRed’s new family has their very own petting zoo with a dancing donkey and a giant tortoise. She doesn’t want them to know she can create storms with her emotions, but Red and her foster mother may have more in common than she thinks. This is a delightful novel with a sprinkle of magic.
Recommended by Devin
My Life as an Ice Cream SandwichEbony-Grace has been uprooted from her sheltered life in Alabama to Harlem, New York. She is obsessed with all things space and NASA. Her imagination is bright and bold, and she retreats into her reality whenever she can, much to the disappointment of her family and friends, who try to bring her down to earth. The longer she spends in New York, the more she realizes that science exists in her everyday, but still maintaining her sense of wonder.
Recommended by Chelsea
The World Ends in AprilMiddle school can be hard enough, but Eleanor discovers that her best friend may be switching schools, a girl in gym class wishes her bodily harm, and an asteroid is headed straight for Earth. Bolstered by her doomsday prepper grandfather, she sets out to help her friends prepare for the end of the world as we know it. As the asteroid grows closer, Eleanor and the reader both learn what true friendship really means.
Recommended by Niki
Pablo and BirdyBy Alison McGhee & Ana Juan (Illustrator)
This heartwarming novel about a boy, his bird, and his search for belonging is perfect for fans of Sharon Creech and Kate DiCamillo.
Recommended by Jackie
More to the StoryI loved this modern-day version of Little Women. Set in Atlanta, aspiring writer Jameela (Jo) navigates the beginning of seventh grade. Don’t be surprised if this story causes you to laugh and cry and feel like you are right there with Jameela and her sisters. This is perfect for fans of Little Women or contemporary realistic fiction, and also for young writers.
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Chelsea
House of Salt and SorrowsWhen Annaleigh’s sisters start dying one by one, rumors go around that her father’s manor house is cursed. Craig’s masterful atmosphere and plot twists make this such a fun read. It is the perfect blend of fairy tale and Gothic horror.
ParnassusNext — Our September Selection
Our September ParnassusNext selection, [image error] by Printz Medal-winning and National Book Award finalist Laura Ruby is a stunning historical fantasy narrated by two girls, one living and one dead, trying to survive in WWII-era Chicago. The book will be officially released in October so ParnassusNext subscribers will get to read the book early in September!
Here is some early buzz for the novel:
“A numinous tale of love and restlessness and dark histories that rises like a tide till you’re up to your neck in its magic. My very favorite kind of read.” —Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
“A layered, empathetic examination of the ghosts inside all girls’ lives, full of historical realism and timeless feeling.” —Kirkus
“Ruby’s delicate, powerful storytelling reveals profound, bewitching truths about the vast, sometimes cruel, sometimes loving, possibilities of human nature. Subtle and stunning.” —Booklist (starred review)
When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an orphanage in Chicago, she thought it was only supposed to be temporary—just long enough for him to get back on his feet be able to provide for them once again. That’s why she is not prepared for the day that he arrives for his weekend visit with a new woman on his arm and out-of-state train tickets in his pocket.
Now Frankie and her sister, Toni, are abandoned to the orphanage, two young unwanted women doing everything they can to survive. And as the embers of the Great Depression are kindled into the fires of World War II, and the shadows of injustice, poverty, and death walk the streets in broad daylight, it will be up to Frankie to find something worth holding on to in the ruins of this shattered America — every minute of every day spent wondering if the life she is able to carve out will be enough.
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
Join us for some of these great events coming up!
YA event with Helene Dunbar, author of We Are Lost and Found — Friday, Sept. 6 at 6:30pm
YA event with Cora Carmack, author of Rage — Saturday, Sept. 7 at 2pm, in conversation with Mark Oshiro
Victoria Schwab, author of Tunnel of Bones — Sunday, Sept. 8 at 2pm, in conversation with Stephanie Appell
Cassie Stephens, author of Stitch and String Lab for Kids — Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2pm
Salon@615 Special Edition with Rainbow Rowell, author of Wayward Son — Friday, Sept. 27 at 6:15pm at Unity of Nashville
September 3, 2019
22 New Reads for September Nights (and Days)
[image error]Say, do you remember? (Ba-dee-ya!) Readin’ in September?
OK, we promise not to stretch this any further, but here in the ninth month, as the nights get cooler and lamp-side reading time gets cozier, we’ve got your new book needs covered. Our booksellers recommend their favorite reads for September. On to the books!
FICTION
Recommended by Ann
Song of SolomonSometimes it’s good to go back. With all that’s been written about Morrison since her death, I wanted to reread her. Song of Solomon reminds me why she was an icon: she was the most gifted writer of our time.
Recommended by Karen
MythosAre you interested in Greek mythology, but are easily bored with traditional texts on the subject? Who better to spice things up but Stephen Fry? The book comes with family trees, maps and illustrations, but you may be tempted to also buy the audio on Libro.FM so you can hear “Professor” Fry read his retellings of the creation of the myths and gods.
Recommended by Karen
The Silence of the GirlsNow in paperback! This Booker Prize-winning author known for her WWI trilogy now tackles The Iliad, but with a twist. The story is written from the point of view of Briseis, the queen who became Achilles’s war prize. After reading Madeline Miller’s Circe last year, I loved seeing how another author deftly handled Greek mythology from a woman’s point of view.
Recommended by Sissy
The SwallowsDid Heathers make you laugh? Did The Kavanaugh hearing make you scream? You’ll love this novel, which takes place on a boarding school campus. It reminded me a little of Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl.
Recommended by Kathy
The Secrets We KeptTwo secretaries working in the CIA typing pool who became spies at the height of the Cold War and the woman who was Boris Pasternak’s mistress and muse….their stories in the publication of Dr. Zhivago, a book the Soviets tried (and failed) to suppress from the world.
Recommended by Sarah
The Beekeeper of AleppoInspired by Lefteri’s work with refugees in Greece, this is a hauntingly realistic story of a husband and wife fleeing the war in Syria for the promise of peace and safety in the UK. Though Nuri and Afra may not be real people, there are thousands living out the truths this book holds, and we need to know their stories.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Miracle CreekA legal thriller crossed with a family drama, Miracle Creek is about what happens after (and leading up to) an explosion that kills two people at an unusual medical treatment center in rural Virginia. The narrative perspective changes with each chapter, so just when you think you know who did what and why, you learn some additional tidbit of backstory that makes you change your mind. I tore through it!
Recommended by Chelsea
The Lager Queen of MinnesotaA fun, heartfelt family saga that focuses on the relationships between sisters, granddaughters, and beer. When the family farm drives a wedge between two sisters, reconciliation can take several decades and the power of beer brewing. Characters are rich, deep, and perfectly developed, and I wanted to be best friends with them all.
Recommended by Cat
After the FloodA tense and vivid post-environmental disaster story of a mother who is trying to keep her and her youngest daughter alive while also trying to find her missing older daughter. The world as we know it has flooded and survival has become precarious. Perfect for fans of Edan Lepucki’s California.
Recommended by Kay
How Long ’til Black Future Month?: StoriesThis collection features over twenty stories by one of SFF’s greatest contemporary writers. Jemisin demonstrates her talent for vividly painting each world, character, and era she touches with a voice all its own. Whether you want to see the origins of Jemisin’s award-winning novels, insightful commentary on the genre, or just a good story about dragons, this collection will not disappoint.
Recommended by Kevin
Exhalation: StoriesThe film Arrival, based on a Ted Chiang short story, made me weep in the theater ’til they turned the lights on. Who knew an ingenious sci-fi thought experiment could explore the human condition with such tenderness? And here’s a full collection of them.
POETRY
Recommended by Steve
A Fortune for Your DisasterWhat I want to say is first of all HOW DARE YOU. After publishing one of my favorite music books of the year (that’d be Go Ahead in the Rain), Hanif Abdurraqib is back seven months later with one of my favorite poetry volumes. There’s probably a more elegant way to say this book is wall-to-wall bangers, but I’m not sure what else to say. These poems succeed in ways other poems don’t even attempt.
Recommended by Chelsea
Life of the Party: PoemsThese poems are sharp and honest, and the collection is arranged perfectly. Gatwood weaves in commentary on violence against women into her own coming-of-age stories. This is the most powerful work I’ve read in 2019.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Andy
The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier
Ian Urbina points out that the sea to most people is simply “a place we fly over.” In The Outlaw Ocean he sheds light on the wildest and perhaps least understood part of our planet. With a concise and straightforward style, Urbina reports on illegal and over-fishing, arms trafficking, slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, theft of ships, murder and other topics that would never be tolerated on land.
Recommended by Keltie
The Yellow House: A MemoirThe Yellow House saw 12 children raised, before The Water came. Sarah was one. This hard-driving yet splendidly affectionate memoir has everything: the complexities of sprawling family; an epic hurricane-flood; questions of social justice and environmental racism; a grand matriarch and a prodigal daughter; and a mythical city. We ask: What is home? A memory? A family? 4121 Wilson Avenue? Can it be lost? Or found?
Recommended by Steve
The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell YouDina Nayeri was 8 years old when her family (minus her father) fled Iran. She tells his story in heart-stopping fashion, like the gifted novelist she is. It’s a riveting story. But it’s also an entry point into a larger and even more urgent discussion, distilled from dozens of stories Nayeri has collected, of migration and asylum that challenges assumptions of what makes a “good” immigrant and makes us question why we would even make such a distinction in the first place.
Recommended by Ben
Three FlamesAgainst a backdrop of tradition, poverty, and ancestral ghosts, Lightman depicts one rice-farming Cambodian family’s conflicts, each chapter focusing on a different member. Each has their own desires, shortcomings, hardships; each has a unique experience within the history and culture they find themselves in. The sections feel deeply personal, and the whole stands out for its multifaceted characters and strong sense of place.
Recommended by Sissy
The Accident of Color: A Story of Race in ReconstructionBrook explores the nosedive in race relations after the backlash to Reconstruction. The patterns echo the promise we felt with our first black President and what we as a nation are suffering today. He focuses on Charleston and New Orleans, where mixed race children were common and accepted until the Black Codes swept across the South.
Recommended by Keltie
The PlateauPaxson is an anthropologist wearied by war when she stumbles upon a story (with a personal twist) about a remote place in France with a long history of sheltering strangers in need (from Jews in WWII to present-day refugees of every kind). In this memoir, she asks the hard questions: What does it take to be a good person when the risk is highest? How does a community choose peace, no matter what, over and over again?
Recommended by Chelsea
Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving MurdersBilly Jensen is most known for working on finishing Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark after her death. But this book proves that Billy should be known for his own accomplishments: solving crimes using social media. Part memoir, part how-to manual, this is a fascinating read for anyone who loves true crime.
Recommended by Ben
Elements of FictionCelebrated novelist Walter Mosley helps writers explore process and craft, using extended images and examples that make it accessible and insightful. From the blank page, to the concepts of narrative voice, dialogue, context, detail, description, character development, improvisation, subtlety, and rewriting, he explains how to imbue fiction with humanity. The advice is, to use his words, both “pedestrian and divine.”
Recommended by Keltie
The DishwasherBy Stephane Larue, translated by Pablo Strauss
For fans of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, this darkly comic novel about an aspiring artist/spiraling gambling-addict takes us through the weird subculture familiar to anyone who has ever waited a lot of tables and made friends with the lovable reprobates who inhabit that world. Set in Montreal and translated from the original French, this book took me right back to the after-hours adventures of my misspent youth.
First Editions Club: September SelectionAkin
One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading — and at the bookstore we hear this from our customers on a daily basis — is picking up a novel that is about no life experience you can personally relate to, and yet finding those bright, shining moments that allow you a glimpse of the things that connect us. The unexpected insights into our shared humanity. So what a delight to pick up Akin and find a novel chock full of those incredible moments.
You will undoubtedly experience some of those moments for yourself but — and here is Emma Donoghue’s genius at work — the heart of the novel is discovering those moments between Noah and Michael as they get to know each other and build a relationship from seemingly polar opposite backgrounds. A beautiful reminder that amidst differences there is similarity and a chance for connection.
More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.
“It’s all about the book.” More thoughts on reading from Kathy Schultenover, Parnassus Book Clubs Manager:
How do you choose books for your club? It’s fairly easy to rely on the hot bestselling titles like Educated, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Guest Book, or Before We Were Yours. They’re great choices for reading with lots to talk about at your meetings. But there are many other current, non-bestselling books that fit both criteria of being good reads and generating lively discussions. In a recent talk I gave, I highlighted these books that I think have not “gotten enough love”, that are hidden gems waiting to be discovered and promoted to book clubs.
Try these for successful meetings:
The House of Broken Angels (Luis Alberto Urrea) — Miguel Angel de la Cruz is celebrated at his 70th birthday bash by his entire extended family. Both touching and hilarious, this story of four generations of Mexican Americans is at once specific to the de la Cruz family and universal to all.
Woman 99 (Greer Macallister) — In 1888 San Francisco, a wealthy young woman goes searching for her sister who was committed to an insane asylum years earlier. Why are she and so many other women hidden away in this facility? There’s more to the story than madness.
The Only Woman in the Room (Marie Benedict) — Historical fiction about the actress Hedy Lamarr and her escape from the Third Reich, her career in Hollywood and the secret work she did for the U.S. government. So many secrets in the life of this famous woman.
The Age of Light (Whitney Scharer) — Beautiful Vogue model goes to Paris in 1929, meets and falls in love with famous photographer Man Ray. Their affair leads to a new career for her as a successful photographer as well, but trouble in the relationship follows.
The Removes (Tatjana Soli) — Here is the American West in the mid-1800’s as told through the eyes of General George Custer, his wife Libbie, and 15-year-old Anne Cummins, who was abducted by the Cheyenne. Their stories intersect in exciting and beautiful prose, giving a vivid picture of life on the Kansas frontier.
To the Bright Edge of the World (Eowyn Ivey) — In 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester sets out on a dangerous expedition into the new territory of Alaska, to map the interior and assess the threat of native tribes there. Meanwhile his pregnant wife Sophie awaits his return at an army base in Vancouver, not knowing if, or when, she will ever see her husband again.
The Widow Nash (Jamie Harrison) — A woman changes her identity and starts her life over as a young widow in a small Montana town, trying to escape a fiancé who only wants her money.
If you select some of these titles for your club’s list this fall, you’ll enjoy the read, have plenty to discuss, and launch your club into a successful year.
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Parnassus Book Club — Upcoming Meeting Schedule
September — So Much Life Left Over by Louis de Bernieres
Monday, September 16 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, September 18 at 6:30pm
Thursday, September 19 at 10am
October — Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Monday, October 14 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30pm
Thursday, October 17 at 10am
Classics Club — Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
Monday, September 30 at 10am and 6:30pm
Are you a member of our store book club? Would you like to be? Parnassus Book Club and Classics Club meetings are free and open to anyone. Buy the book, read along, and join the discussion!
August 29, 2019
Back-to-School Reading for Grownups: A Curriculum for Personal Growth and Happier Living, From the Boardroom to the Kitchen
Ah, remember how life used to give you a fresh slate at the end of every summer? Back-to-school season offers students everywhere an opportunity to reinvent themselves, stretch their comfort zones, and learn new things. Don’t adults deserve that chance, too? After all, everyone’s still growing, on the inside at least. On that note, here are a few books with fascinating, timely lessons to impart. Consider them required textbooks for your own personal 2019-2020 school year, even if you’re decades removed from the days of backpacks and No. 2 pencils.
Get to reading, and discover ideas that can change how you live:
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention EconomyIf it’s time to renegotiate the terms of your love-hate relationship with social media, this is the book for you. Written in Odell’s approachable voice, thoroughly researched, and packed with both pop-culture references and scholarly sources, How to Do Nothing reads like a text from a college course with your favorite cool professor. She argues that where you spend your attention — on your phone screen, in a rose garden, face-to-face with a friend — determines how you experience the world. Enroll yourself in Odell’s approach to life and enjoy your rising levels of contentment, creativity, and calm.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress CycleBy Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski
Speaking of calm: Make this the year you get a handle on stress. This collaboration by sisters Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski was Cat’s staff pick earlier this year. You’ll find it on our shelves with Cat’s shelf-talker, which reads, “We all get stressed, but most of us don’t know how to manage our stress in a healthy way… If you are a woman at any stage of life, you need this book. It’s wonderfully conversational and also full of applicable and eye-opening solutions.” It’s a conversational, fun read you’ll want to discuss with your friends.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It MattersHate wasting time? Whether you’re part of a corporate environment, a social committee, or a small business or nonprofit, you need this book. Parker explains the essential questions you must ask before scheduling a get-together, as well as how to structure delightful, engaging gatherings from board retreats to lunch meetings to birthday parties. Make it a required read at work, and watch as the productivity and effectiveness of meetings skyrocket. Never fall asleep at a conference table again!
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and DoAre you biased in how you interact with others? Are you sure? Even when we intend to treat all people equally, ingrained stereotypes may be affecting our attitudes and actions without our even realizing it. A psychology professor at Stanford, Eberhardt consults with companies and law enforcement professionals to apply what she has learned in her extensive research into the subtle, implicit biases that affect everything from our social lives to our business interactions and courtroom decisions. Read this eye-opening book, look at the human beings around you in a new way, and make yourself part of a movement toward a more peaceful, fair, and empowering world.
The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter WorldFor everyone with a sense of constant, low-level dread about climate change, this book will help you wrap your mind around — and maybe even get excited about? — what lies ahead. With the world’s population exploding, crop production dropping, and water supplies in jeopardy, we can no longer ignore the question of how human beings will feed themselves in this century and beyond. To find the answers, Vanderbilt journalism professor Amanda Little traveled the world and turned years of reporting on energy, environment, and technology into a book that’s fascinating, surprising, even oddly comforting. After all, when you know what the future looks like, you can make choices accordingly. Listen to Little discuss soil-free farming, 3D food printers, and more with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air here.
While we’re on the subject of food, here’s a quartet of cookbooks for broadening your culinary horizons. Add them to your kitchen and make this the year you embark on your own Cooking Adventures 101 course:
Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American FamilyBy Priya Krishna, Mackenzie Kelley (photographer)
Named one of the best cookbooks of the season by The New York Times, Eater, and Bon Appétit when it came out earlier this year, Krishna’s collection of recipes and entertaining anecdotes is a tribute to her mother’s unique style of cooking — a hybrid of Indian and American dishes that are easy to make and appealing to all ages. (Get a feel for the dishes in “What a Cookbook Author Actually Eats for Dinner.”)
Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home CookSure, you could blow your budget going out for Mexican once a week. Or you could learn to make 100 essential Mexican dishes on your own from Enrique Olvera, the celebrated chef who runs restaurants in both Mexico City and New York. (He’s also featured in the Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table.) Epicurious, Food & Wine, and Grub Street praised this beautiful, practical guide, and you’ll be thrilled by the flavors it brings to your nightly meals.
Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors: A CookbookNguyen’s books have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and National Public Radio — not to mention home chefs across America and beyond. In her newest book, she helps readers who may not have access to specialty grocers create authentic Viet food using ingredients found in most major supermarkets. Nothing here is too complicated or intimidating, which means before you know it, you’ll have new favorites to add to your regular rotation.
Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and CelebrationWe at Parnassus have always been big fans of Carla Hall (she’s the nicest), and we’re not alone. The celebrity chef from The Chew and Top Chef has gained a following for sharing her knowledge with genuine, contagious enthusiasm. Here, she offers up dishes from her childhood in Nashville as well as contemporary spins on traditional fare. In the process of learning how to make Hall’s signature recipes, you’ll also learn about the true history of soul food, from Africa and the Caribbean to the American South.
What have YOU learned lately from a book? We’d love to know! Chime in on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share your back-to-school reading choices.
August 21, 2019
Loved These Books? Follow Up With the Perfect Paperback Read-Alikes
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Look, we love a new hardcover as much as the next book-lovers, but come summer, it’s nice to have a smaller, more flexible book to wedge into the pocket of a carry-on bag or cram in a purse. In addition to being lightweight, paperbacks are lighter on the wallet, too — which makes it a guilt-free experience to load up at the bookstore, right?
This week we’re taking a look at what booksellers call “backlist” — the not-so-new but just-as-fabulous titles we want to make sure you don’t miss. And to help you find something that suits your taste, we’ve paired each paperback suggestion with one of the wildly popular current hardcovers our readers have been talking about. Consider this a fill-in-the-blank exercise: If you love _____, you’ll also like _____.
[image error]Have a serious case of Crawdads fever? Then let us suggest The Marsh King’s Daughter. You’ll find a similarly strong sense of place (indeed, a similar place itself — except the marsh in this story is located in the rugged upper peninsula of Michigan). Readers who enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of Owens’ novel will like the fast-paced manhunt that drives Dionne’s story. Bonus: Both have savvy, outdoorsy female protagonists navigating complicated relationships to their families.
[image error]Perhaps you’ve just torn through City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert — currently taking up residence in beach bags all over the world — and you’re hungry for more. If you were totally absorbed by the story of Gilbert’s hard-working theater folks trying to make it in New York show business around the time of the Depression, you’ll likely enjoy this classic memoir by playwright Moss Hart. Ann Patchett says, “Nothing tops Act One. This is one of my favorite books of all time.”
[image error]Inspired by an actual reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida — and the abuse inflicted upon the boys there — Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed new novel, The Nickel Boys, will captivate and haunt you. On that note: “haunting” is a fitting description of Jesmyn Ward’s National Book Award-winning novel Salvage the Bones — about a desperate group of New Orleans siblings in the days before Hurricane Katrina. File both under “devastating and necessary.”
[image error]Normal People follows a young couple through the throes of first love in mid-2000s Ireland. The Great Believers weaves an ensemble story of friendship and heartbreak during the1980s AIDS crisis in Chicago. Yet common themes — growing into yourself and learning which people mean the most to you — transcend these novels’ differences in time and place. Fun fact: Both Normal People and The Great Believers are headed to the small screen as television adaptations.
[image error]Nell Freudenberger’s Lost and Wanted proved to be just the complex, thoughtful novel brainy readers wanted this spring. If you were drawn in by the mysterious messages and relationships between women across time and space, you might also try A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. The Venn diagram of these books’ ingredients overlaps when it comes to both friendship and physics, and both are deeply engrossing.
[image error]Helen Phillips’ new surreal speculative fiction, The Need, is earning raves left and right for its fearless, mind-bending take on motherhood. If you can’t get enough of Phillips’ eery, supernatural storytelling, now might be a great time to go on a Margaret Atwood binge. Or check out a lesser-known but equally smashing jewel, Clare Beams’ short story collection from a few years ago called We Show What We Have Learned.
[image error]The buzz built like crazy leading up to last month’s publication of Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women, an in-depth journalistic look at three women’s lives (specifically their sex lives) over nearly a decade in America. Although Love and Trouble is the story of just one woman — the memoir’s author, Claire Dederer — it travels through some similar territory, taking an unflinching look at female sexuality and desire.
[image error]Pretty much everyone on the Parnassus staff fell hard for Ocean Vuong’s debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and customers have, too. If you were both transported and grounded by this story, told in the form of a letter to a mother who’ll never read it, try Lisa Ko’s debut The Leavers. While not quite as lyrical as On Earth (how many books even come close?), The Leavers also explores the love of a mother for her son. It’s especially relevant, still, for how it depicts the effects of immigration policy and family separation in particular.
[image error]Madeline Miller’s Circe took the modern world by storm with its fresh, feminist re-telling of a classic story. This particular recommendation may be a little on-the-nose, but just in case: If you haven’t also read Miller’s The Song of Achilles, you’ll want to do so immediately. While Circe is so powerful it feels like a singular work, its predecessor measures up on every level.
[image error]In the same vein, we could recommend that everyone who loved Ruth Reichl’s new book, Save Me the Plums, simply pick up a copy of her previous culinary memoirs. And you should — they’re lovely! But for a different voice and just as fascinating a story, don’t miss Edward Lee’s Buttermilk Graffiti. It won the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Book of the Year.
More Paperback Love!
Many of our staff favorites from last year are now available in travel-friendly paperback editions:
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Severance by Ling Ma
Calypso by David Sedaris
Whiskey When We’re Dry by John Larison
The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
August 13, 2019
Safer Is Not Always Better: An Interview With Stacey Lee
The Downstairs Girl, our ParnassusNext selection for August, tells the story of Jo Kuan, lady’s maid by day and pseudonymous advice columnist by night. In 1890 Atlanta, Jo lives in a secret underground basement with her uncle as they make their way in the margins of society.
Stacey Lee tells stories of young women who have fallen through the cracks of history. I fell in love with her writing while reading her first novel and I am often putting her novels Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon into the hands of YA readers at Parnassus. I am thrilled to interview Stacey and I can’t wait for you to read her new book. —Rae Ann Parker, Director of Books and Events for Young Readers
Rae Ann Parker: The Downstairs Girl is a historical novel with many themes that today’s readers can identify with. How did Jo’s story come to you and what do you hope readers take away from it?
[image error]Stacey Lee: I had always wanted to write a story set in the South. When I learned that Chinese laborers were shipped in post-Civil War to replace the field slaves, the idea of my story began to take root. I had known that ‘yellow peril’ had caused some Chinese to take extreme measures to be safe from scapegoating, like living underground. These communities are still being unearthed today.
Jo, who lives underground, symbolizes anyone who feels she must somehow hide the truth of herself because of societal or familial expectations. It might feel safer to stay hidden away, but safer is not always better. We all have things to say. Learning how to speak up helps us feel valued and a part of the community. And by honing our voices, we can change the world.
RAP: The effect of the Chinese Exclusion Act, an immigration ban in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the reception of women of color in the suffrage movement are woven throughout the novel’s storyline. Your books share stories of people who may not often be seen on the pages of YA novels. Why is it important to you to write stories for young adults?
SL: I think the “young adult” age is such a critical period of our lives. Young adults are still young enough to dream of magic and possibility, yet old enough to think for themselves and to begin to make real change in the world. I love that sweet spot.
RAP: Your main character Jo is an advice columnist, writing under a pseudonym. I think her willingness to give advice through the newspaper when many of her readers would not listen to her if they met face to face is a fascinating display of her character. Writing the advice column must have been fun. What was your favorite letter you wrote for the novel?
SL: Yes, it was so fun to take on an alter-ego. My favorite letter:
Dear Miss Sweetie,
My sisters and I wonder why must women suffer a few days each month?
Sincerely,
Bloated, Crampy, and Spotty
Dear Bloated, Crampy, and Spotty,
Because the alternative is worse, although they do get to vote.
Sincerely,
Miss Sweetie
There were so many “taboo” subjects that were not allowed to be discussed in polite Victorian company, but that Miss Sweetie faces head on. Plus, it’s always satisfying when I can kill two birds with one stone (e.g., working the suffrage angle in there).
RAP: You read Atlanta newspapers from the time period in your research for the book. Did you read anything that fits into the category of “truth is stranger than fiction”?
SL: It was fascinating to read about all snake oils being peddled, like “Cocaine Hair Dressing,” and “Obesity Bath Powder,” which was just baking soda. I guess there will always be a market for body insecurities!
RAP: If you could travel back in time to spend one day with Jo, what would she tell you about herself?
SL: She would tell me her ideas, that it’s important to work hard, but to take time to ride your horse, too. I believe if I asked her what piece of advice she would give young people today, she would say to: 1) take up a hobby (she recommends knot-tying); 2) wear a hat, and 3) get involved with your community. Someone needs you to make a difference!
RAP: And finally, we ask everyone: what’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?
SL: It’s hard to pick one thing! I love indie bookstores because they are such lovely, civilized places. People there are smart, helpful, and there’s always something to talk about.
August 8, 2019
A Perfect 10: Books for the Young and Young at Heart
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Nashville public schools are back in session this week, but that’s no reason to stop reading what you want (as long as you get your homework finished first). No homework? Even better! Whether you’re back in class this week or just looking for the right book to curl up with, we’ve picked out 10 perfect reads for the young, young adult, and young-at-heart. Take a look!
And don’t miss the kid-friendly events listed at the end of this post!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Ella
Skulls!By Blair Thornburgh, Scott Campbell (Illustrator)
Who doesn’t love skulls? I love this fun, informational book about arguably the best part of your body. Read it for science, love, and great illustrations!
Recommended by Rae Ann
Buddy and Earl Go to SchoolBy Maureen Fergus, Carey Sookocheff
Buddy and Earl are excited to gather their school supplies and learn in my favorite Back to School picture book. A funny read-aloud!
Recommended by Kay
TrumanBy Jean Reidy, Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)
This charming story of a turtle and his girl teaches us to be brave in the face of new adventures, as Truman sets out on the biggest little adventure a loyal turtle can face.
Recommended by Ella
Sleepy, the Goodnight BuddyBy Drew Daywalt, Scott Campbell (Illustrator)
A great read about a boy who’s new sleeping buddy is not the best at sleeping. If you liked Hug Machine or Sir Simon, this book is for you!
Recommended by Niki
Contrary DogsTired of reading the same old boring board books to baby every night? LOOK NO FURTHER. Contrary Dogs is a true delight — sparse but humorous text, gorgeously graphic illustrations, and interactive opportunities on every page.
Recommended by Ella
[image error] Albert’s Quiet Quest
I loved this book for its beautiful illustrations and quaint story about a boy who just wants some peace and quiet. This is a really peaceful, calming read!
Recommended by Rae Ann
Music for Mister MoonBy Philip C. Stead, Erin Stead (Illustrator)
A young musician finds friendship and community in this delightful picture book.
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Steve
The TwelveThe heroes in this book are a group of kids, each of whom has a special power related to one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac (hence the “twelve”). This fast-paced adventure has a fun premise, a magical backdrop, and a lot of heart.
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Kay
Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1)The story begins with a girl secretly competing for the (male only) title of Imperial Tailor to prove her skills and save her family from poverty. By the end, this tale of love and artistry had grown into something far more magical and adventurous than I ever expected. The sequel can’t come soon enough!
Recommended by Keltie
Dreamland (YA edition): The True Tale of America’s Opiate EpidemicBy Sam Quinones
Smartly adapted and updated for the generation whom this epidemic may affect the most. If you’ve seen the devastating effects of opioid addiction in your life or the lives of those around you, if you’ve lost a friend, or know someone who has lost a friend, or if you just want to understand how this tidal wave happened: Read this now. It’s important.
ParnassusNext — Our August Selection
[image error]Our August ParnassusNext selection, Stacey Lee’s The Downstairs Girl, is a marvelous story of history, family, and carving out your own path in the world. One of this summer’s most critically lauded novels, it’s perfect for readers who love Ruta Sepetys, Jennifer Donnelly, and Monica Hesse. Check out some of the early buzz below:
“A triumph of storytelling. The Downstairs Girl is a bold portrait of this country’s past, brilliantly painted with wit, heartbreak, and unflinching honesty. Everyone needs to read this book” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“Featuring historical signposts (streetcar segregation, suffragists on safety bicycles) and memorable, well-developed characters, this captivating novel explores intersectionality, conveys the effects of restrictions placed on women and people of color, and celebrates the strengths and talents of marginalized people struggling to break society’s barriers in any age.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The Downstairs Girl is a thoughtful, imaginative and surprising look at a period of American history that feels both distant and all too close. Jo is a sharp and compelling narrator, and I could’ve stayed forever in her downstairs hideout, watching the world through her eyes. Immersive, important, and thoroughly entertaining, The Downstairs Girl sparkles with all of Stacey Lee’s signature humor, charm, warmth, and wisdom.” —Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Conviction and Picture Us in the Light
Look for an excerpt, coming soon to Musing!
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
We’re also excited that this week Rae Ann Parker moves into her new role as Director of Books and Events for Young Readers! Speaking of events, join us for one of these soon!
Kristin Maher, author of The Awfulizer: Learning to Overcome the Shame Game — August 22 at 6:30
YA event with Erin A. Craig, author of House of Salt and Sorrows — August 24 at 2pm
Weekly Storytime — Saturdays at 10:30am and Thursdays at 4pm
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