A Good American by Alex George

Amy Einhorn Books, $25.95, Fiction

A moving, sweeping novel about the immigrant experience of the last century, about family, and what it really means to be an American. A young German couple makes the perilous journey to America in 1904.  If you get around to one book this season, this should be the one!  Read More.

Titanic First Accounts by Tim Maltin

Penguin Classics, $16.00, History

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, the publishing companies are rolling out lots of Titanic-themed books.  We think Titanic First Accounts is one of the best, with fascinating first-hand accounts taken from survivors sometimes just after their rescue, sometimes years later, and from newspaper articles and more.  [Also of note are Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster, a history of the first class passengers and their world and The LIfeboat by Charlotte Rogan, a novel based on the idea of a group of people doing what they must to survive in a lifeboat during this type of disaster. Another notable entry into the field is a young adult novel called The Time-Traveling Fashionista on Board the Titanic by Bianca Turetsky, which is getting thumbs up from our teen readers.  Read more about Titanic First Accounts.

Hinterland by Caroline Brothers

Bloomsbury, $15.00, Fiction

One of Annie’s must reads of the year, this is the compelling story of two orphaned Afghani brothers who struggle to make their way alone across Europe, surviving human trafikkers and predators of other kinds, encountering the occasional decent citizen, but often encountering governmental persecution instead of the help they so desperately need. Disturbing, suspenseful, and beautifully written.  Read the review here on our blog.  Read more.

Day of Honey : A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezlado

Free Press, $15.00, Memoir

Part war reporting, part travelogue, part food writing, this is one of the most intimate memoirs I’ve read in years. Ciezlado gives us a look at how people in the middle east survive perpetual war and turmoil by something so simple and basic as sharing food with each other.  A beautifully-written story about love and resilience, and the ties that bind us all together more than the wars can tear us apart. Read more.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Little Brown & Company, $24.99, Fiction

A beautiful, magical tale of a childless couple who homestead in Alaska in the 1920s, and quietly nurse their grief over the loss of a child, as they work themselves into oblivion to establish their new home.  One day, in a moment of fun, they build a snow child.  The next day, although their snow child is gone, they begin to see glimpses of a young girl running in the trees.  They wonder if she is alone out there, and if so, how is she surviving?  Populated by a wonderful cast of characters, a group of genuinely good people who understand that helping one another is the only way to survive, and written in luminous prose, this is a treasure of a book, and not to be missed!  Read more

Far from Here, Nicole Baart

Howard Books, $16.00, Fiction

This is a lovely page-turner about a young Iowa woman who falls for a pilot, despite the fact that she has a profound fear of flying.  They make their happy new home in Black Hawk county, Iowa, until the day her husband gets an offer to take his dream job — flying in the back country of Alaska.  He accepts the offer, which is only for a few weeks, but on his last flight before returning home, her husband disappears.  Is she now a widow? An abandoned wife? Her path to discovering what happened to her husband will push her to her own limits, and teach her things she never imagined about love and loss and about starting over. As an added bonus, this great writer is one of Iowa’s own!  Read more.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Harper Collins, $26.99, Fiction

A vibrant retelling of Jane Eyre set in 1960s Scotland, this is the story of Gemma Hardy, orphaned and raised first by a cruel aunt, and then in a cold orphanage, before she finds a position as a tutor for a wealthy family on the lonely Orkney Islands.  Of course, not everything is as it seems there, and the indomitable Gemma will learn about love and passion and secrets, just as her predecessor, Jane did in her own time and place. Beautifully written, this book is as much homage as redux, and is a lovely choice for a leisurely lounge-chair read. Read more.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Random House, $15.00, Fiction

This is the story of Clara Driscoll, the woman who worked for the Tiffany company and designed the famous stained-glass lamps manufactured in the early 20th century.  Because she was a woman, Clara was never publicly recognized for her work, and faced difficult restrictions on her personal life — Mr. Tiffany would not employ married women, for example.  Set in the first decades of the 20th century, Vreeland lovingly chronicles Clara’s struggle to reconcile the work of her hands with the leanings of her heart in an environment that barely tolerates a woman’s presence, much less her life as a wife and mother.  Another spot on examination of a little known corner of the art world, from Vreeland, who also wrote Girl in Hyacinth Blue.  Read more.

Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli

Viking, $25.95, Fiction

In this mystical and loving family epic, Tuccelli takes us from pre-World War II Washington DC to rural Georgia over a span of a century as she follows the fates of a community of free African Americans, Cherokees, and Scots Irish, as they grapple with survival, racism, and the vagaries of history. Glow is told from the viewpoints of two young girls — a mother and her daughter — one from the 1940s and one from the 1920s, both of whom are victims of racial crimes, and who meet the world head-on with courage and joy.  I was reminded of Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons by the theme of Cherokee people dealing with the invasion of their homeland in various creative ways, while still maintaining some last shreds of their culture, and also by the atmospheric evocation of time and place.  I’ve never been to the mountain region of Georgia, but after reading Glow, I feel like I might know my way around a bit.  Highly recommended!  Read more.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

Plume, $15.00, Fiction

From the author of Violets in March comes a love story spanning decades, about a young American woman named Anne, who volunteers during WWII and is sent to the Pacific island of Bora-Bora to serve as an Army nurse. Once there, she meets an enigmatic soldier named Westry, and they form a deep bond, whiling away their private hours in a hidden bungalow on the beach.  But a horrifying murder, a jealous friend, and the vagaries of war separate them, and they each move on to their respective duties, and in time, their civilian lives.  But Anne never forgets Westry, and she never stops wondering about the events she witnessed in the bungalow, and she cannot rest until she learns the truth about what happened and comes to terms with the losses she suffered.  With lush locations and enough romance for the most demanding romantics, this will be the best beach read of the summer!  Read more.

The Golden Hour by Margaret Wurtele

NAL, $15.00, Fiction

Another great WWII tale, this time set in a small village in Tuscany.  This is the story of Giovanna Bellinni, an aristocratic 17 year old girl, who comes of age in the midst of the war.  When the Nazis occupy her village, and take over her ancestral home, Giovanna’s brother joins the Resistance.  As the war and its terrible choices comes ever closer, the Giovanna begins to grow up, and learns more about the Nazis and what they have done to the Jews, and what role her own family has had in the Italian Fascist party, and she will have to make her own choices.  Along the way, she will find wisdom, hardship, and perhaps even love.   Read more.

A Covert Affair by Jennett Conant

Simon & Schuster, $16.00, History

This page-turner history is the riveting account of Julia and Paul Child’s experiences as members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, and the tumultuous later years when they were caught up in the McCarthy communist spy hunt in the 1950s.  Filled with intimate details of this fascinating couple’s life, this book gave me a sense of what it must have been like to find yourself the target of those investigations, and of the times and fears that made the McCarthy investigations possible.  A fresh new look at this beloved couple, and at a frightening time in a not-so-distant past.  Read more.

Mrs Kennedy and Me : An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill

Gallery Books, $26.00, Memoir

The memoir of Clint Hill, the secret service man assigned to protect Jacqueline Kennedy during her husband’s term as president, from 1960 to 1964.  Hill went from being a reluctant guard dog, to being a fierce protector of the First Lady, and perhaps her closest friend.  This is a moving story of loyalty written by a remarkable gentleman who waited 50 years to tell his story about a woman he very much came to admire.  This gets top ratings from Kennedy fans everywhere!  Read More.

Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow

St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, Mystery

The newest entry in Stabenow’s long running mystery series brings together her two popular protagonists, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak and Alaska state trooper Liam Campbell, in one story for the first time!  If you haven’t read Stabenow, this is a great entry point into the series, as the two detectives work together to solve a murder, as they navigate the web of conspiracy they find behind the death of a very unpopular aviation entrepreneur.  Stabenow’s characters are always meticulously developed, and her arctic settings are always compelling — if you love a solid, smart mystery, discover this writer today!  Read more

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Delacorte Press, $26.00, Mystery

This is an unusual and taught legal thriller that doubles as a family drama, in which Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney must deal with helping his teenaged son face the accusation that he murdered another child.  As the accusations and denials fly, the trial intensifies, his marriage begins to crumble, and Andy must find a way to stand by his son, no matter what.  Think Jody Picoult meets John Grisham — with a bit of a sharper edge!  And we have to admit that we really enjoyed visiting with Mr. Landay at the MIBA meetings last fall — his discussion of the process of thinking about and writing this story was fascinating.  We think you’ll all love it.  Read more.

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry

Broadway Books, $15.00, Suspense

“If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn’t, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water.”

With an opening gambit like this one, how could we resist?  And the book delivered, with enough suspense, mystery, and twists and turns to keep you up late at night!  Learning to Swim is the story of Troy Chance who makes a split second decision one evening as she rides the ferry across Lake Champlain, and jumpes into the frigid waters to save a small boy.  When she gets to him, she finds that he is understandably terrified and that he speaks only French. She saves him from drowning, and when they reach shore, she realizes that no one is looking for him!  From there, she makes a fateful decision and takes the boy home to care for him until she can find his family.  But no one is coming forward looking for him, no pleas on the media, no police investigations, nothing.  As she works to discover what happened to the young boy, she uncovers a tangled web of privilege, money, power, and ruthlessness.  Read more.

The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose (The Reincarnationist #4)

Simon & Schuster, $24.00, Suspense

The fourth in her Reincarnationist series about a group of artifacts that can help the user access past life memories, and the man obsessed with finding them, wherever they may be.  In this entry, we meet Jac L’Etoile, the daughter of a French perfume house in crisis, who begins to experience ‘flashbacks’ to Cleopatra’s Egypt associated with a particular ancient scent that no one has been able to identify, she is dragged into a maelstrom of international intrigue involving Tibetan dissidents, Chinese nationalists, and the relentless Dr. Malachi who will stop at nothing to possess the scent itself.  The books in this series stay with you, and the twist of the past life memories and how they help solve each mystery is an added intriguing bonus!  Read more.

Expats by Chris Pavone

Crown Books, $26.00, Thriller

When American wife and mother Kate Moore’s husband gets a great new job, the family moves to Luxembourg where Kate hopes she can start anew, and leave her old life behind.  But things in Luxembourg are not always what they seem, and Kate soon discovers that her past cannot be outrun, and that her husband has a secret life of his own that will put everything she loves in jeopardy.  This is a stylish, smart thriller and great fun to read!  Read more.

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Knopf, $25.95, Fantasy

Oh, yeah, Rice is back!  After a period during which she wrote about different types of subjects, the author of Interview with the Vampire has returned to her former paranormal themes with this thick, satisfying tale of a young journalist who visits a fantastic old mansion in northern California where he is brutally attacked and transformed into, you guessed it, a werewolf.  Lush detail, settings you feel you could step into, a magnificent personal transformation, and a driving plot make this the perfect book to get lost in this summer. Read more

By the Iowa Sea by Joe Blair

Scribner, $24.00, Memoir

The searingly honest memoir of an Iowa man grappling with fleeting youth, his marriage, his four children — including one autistic son — and a flood that tears everything down to its essence.  A compelling voice from a promising young writer.  Read Bob Leonard’s review on this blog and more information here.

Pioneer Woman Cooks : Food from My Frontier by Ree Drummond

William Morrow and Co., $29.99, Cooking

This great cookbook from the engaging ‘Pioneer Woman’ is so popular with our customers that it has been hard to keep in stock!  We understand, because this is not only a great learning resource for beginning cooks like graduating seniors and newlyweds, with step-by-step photos and clear instructions, but it is also a tremendously fun read, and a peek at an appealing rural lifestyle, as this former city girl does her part in running her ‘Marlboro Man’s’ cattle ranch in Oklahoma.  Read more.

This book kept me riveted from the first page, and I had a hard time putting it down in spite of a blazingly busy few days. I found that I couldn’t stop thinking about Aryan and Kabir, and what they endured as they made their way across the world to their promised land — England. And now, a few days later, I still can’t stop thinking about it!

Hinterland is the odyssey of two Afghani brothers, orphaned by war, one about 14 and one 8, who are traveling alone across Europe in a desperate attempt to reach England, where they believe they will be able to live in peace and go to school.  Aryan, the elder is one of the most steadfast characters I’ve encountered in literature; he battles through his own internal demons and what is probably PTSD, to care for and encourage his little brother Kabir as they make their long and difficult way across the continent.

Some of the scenes are horrific, certainly, but mostly it was the tenuousness of their survival and the boy’s courage and optimism that makes this an unforgettable book. But in spite of the boys’ love for each other and their resilience, it is the perpetual the failure of the international community to help these children and the thousands like them that was most stunning.  Of course, there were people along the way who were kind — mostly in small ways; but there was also a smorgasbord of predators of various ilk who preyed upon these children at every turn.  By the end, they felt like they could have been my own brothers. I suppose they are.

Hinterland belongs in a group with Little Bee and the Blue Notebook in how it points out the plight of children in unfamiliar parts of the world, but it also stands as a great, suspenseful read, one of those universal stories of tremendous courage against insurmountable odds that speaks to something fundamental in all of us; and I, for one, will never be the same after spending the weekend in the Hinterland.  As the review line on the cover of the book says, this is a story that all of us should read!

reviewed by Annie Leonard

By the Iowa Sea : A Memoir of Disaster and Love, by Joe Blair

Does an honest memoir exist? Is one even possible? As memoirs are necessarily selective, isn’t there a tendency to extol one’s virtues, hide one’s flaws? For those who admit to having, let’s say, a complex life, even a flawed life, an honest memoir becomes an act of courage. Joe Blair’s new book, “By the Iowa Sea: a Memoir of Disaster and Love,” is such an act of courage. It is also a compelling, beautifully written story set during the Iowa floods of 2008, when nature’s weight bore down on a great many Iowans, Blair included.

Blair bears other burdens as well. A free spirit who as a young man dreamed of riding into the distance in pursuit of adventure on a Harley finds himself bent if not broken by the approach of middle age, dreams unrealized now that he is a heating and cooling man in a crumbling marriage with four children–one of whom is severely autistic.

With the floods as backdrop, Blair recounts his story, inner thoughts revealed, slowly unfolding like a flower, a black rose perhaps, that crumbles in our hands, bloodied by thorns.

While it took great courage to write this memoir, it took even greater courage for Blair to sustain his life. While he couldn’t hold back the flood, he could wait until it subsided. He also waited till the waters of his life that were on the verge of drowning him, subsided.

His marriage is intact, his children have their father. May we all have at least of bit of Blair’s courage when we need it.

Reviewed by Bob Leonard
author of Yellow Cab

As we talked, I learned that Charlene is an author.  She has written numerous books, including several inspirational and self-help titles, the beloved Dearest Dorothy series, and the Snow Globe Connections series, and when I met her she was working on a new book for her Snow Globe Connections series.  She mentioned that she was looking for a ballet dancer to help her with some technical details for this newest book.  Of course, I disclosed that I was a book store owner, but also the owner of “Tresa’s School of Dance” and had taught dance classes for 38 years!

It was like a match made in heaven as she ran across the store to hug me, and then asked if I would help with her process by reading her manuscript. I was honored and excited at this request, and sent her to the computer shop to have her script printed so she could leave it in Knoxville with me. Then, local KNIA/KRLS news director, Dr. Bob Leonard, also happened into our store during Charlene’s visit, and he asked if she might be interested in giving an interview for his weekly show, to which she graciously and excitedly agreed.

After a lovely visit, we sent Charlene and her husband to The Swamp Fox for dinner, and so their gas station stop turned into a six hour sojourn in Knoxville!

Since then, we’ve kept in touch with Charlene, read some of her books, and learned more about her career as a humorist and speaker.  I enjoyed reading her manuscript for Finding Our Way Home, and was able to offer some expert advice to make the book, which features an injured ballerina who must learn to live without her dancing, even more true to life.  And now, I am so pleased to have the final result on our shelves along with Charlene’s other books!

So, to celebrate the release of Finding Our Way Home, it is with great pleasure that we welcome Charlene to Knoxville once again, for a trio of special events on Thursday, March 22nd.  At 12 noon, the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce will host Charlene at the Peace Tree Tasting Room for an edition of Expert Edge– Business Survival 101: The Balance Between Humor and Grit. At 2pm, an Afternoon Tea and Book Signing here at the Next Chapter. Finally, at 5:30, come to The Peace Tree for “Charlene, etc., Life’s Quirky Tidbits,” as our special guest entertains us with humor, uncommon wisdom, and passionate insights.

We hope you can join us!

Read more about Charlene and her work at her website: http://www.charleneannbaumbich.com/index.html

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since we opened our doors on November 3^rd, 2008 — so much has happened in that time, both in the world around us, as well as in our shop. It hardly seems possible for it to all have gone on in just three years!

Here at The Next Chapter, Tresa and I have watched a dream grow, first becoming a startup indie bookshop with a few gifts and lots of ideas; and then blossoming into the thriving shop we like to call our Book and Gift Boutique, where we are fortunate to be working, every day.

Three years ago, we were just opening our doors, hoping that you would find something you liked on our shelves.  You were wonderful! You supported us beyond most predictions, so we got to work, and the startup grew into a bustling shop.  It was the Next Chapter in both of our lives.

We knew we wanted to have used books as well as new.  So we opened our used book basement, seeded it with books from our own collections and began taking donations, giving 10% of each month’s used book sales back to the community in the form of checks to local charities.

We wanted The Next Chapter to have a warm and welcoming atmosphere, so we made a seating area with soft couches and a table with chairs.  We installed the book shelves all along the perimeter of the space and arranged displays of books and gifts on tables and shelves and spinners throughout the middle of the shop. We invited people to stop, have a cup of coffee, take a few minutes to browse, relax, enjoy.

Over the next three years, we listened to feedback, we worked to fulfill requests, we watched what was happening in our community, and tried to help wherever we could. We read countless book reviews and fine tuned our book selection. When we didn’t have what you were looking for, we helped you locate the books you wanted.  When you responded to the few gift lines we carried, and asked for more, we slowly began to carry more kinds of items, or bigger selections of the kinds of things you shopped for.  When other shops on the square closed their doors, or opened, we responded to fulfill the needs of our town by carrying items like greeting cards.

We tried a few things that just didn’t work, like magazines; or that were initially intended to be temporary like blooming plants during the spring season. We sought out some of the things that weren’t available in our community, to encourage you to shop locally.  We added some specific gift lines that you asked for, like Willow Tree figurines and WoodWick Candles, to name just two.

And again, your response has been great!  All the kind words and encouragement, as well as the willingness to shop locally, have made The Next Chapter a success.  In April of this year, we annexed the suite of offices between the main shop and the dental office, and added a Home and Garden Décor section, stocking it with lots of beautiful things to make your house a home, and gourmet food mixes, coffees and teas to feed your loved ones.

A few months later, we realized we needed more help, so we hired Diane Gordon, the third member of our team, who brings years of bookshop and book-keeping experience along with a generous portion of creativity to the mix. We’ve enjoyed having her, and her new perspective, helping make this an even better place.

If you haven’t been to The Next Chapter lately, you may not know that the term ‘gift selection’ is perhaps a bit misleading.  We have a fashion accessories section, a paper goods section with cards and journals, and a toy section, and of course, our Home and Garden section.

One day, a year or so ago, a woman from out of town, who had spent some time browsing and shopping, stopped on her way out carrying several bags, and exclaimed, “This is a Book Boutique!  I love it!” We liked it too, and have added that to our description of The Next Chapter.

We like being a Book and Gift Boutique.  We also like being part of Knoxville’s own next chapter, as our town looks to the future and works to solve the problems facing many communities of our size.

Here are some of the ways we are trying to help:

• We have donated over $5000 to local causes benefitting everything from homeless pets to college bound students.
• We’ve sold nearly 20,000 new books, and 9000 used books since we opened – just think of all that reading!
• We have entered into partnerships with other local businesses, such as the Peace Tree Brewing Company to bring entertaining events to the town.
• We have worked with local schools, libraries and churches, offering discounts and services, because we want to be the local source for the books they need.
• We have offered adult education classes on such diverse topics as Basic Computers, Flower Arranging, Memory Quilt Crafting and more.
• We provide meeting space for several local organizations, and gathering space for the community at large.
• We have sold tickets to numerous events for organizations like the Red Rock Arts Alliance and K-Act.
• We have welcomed other would-be entrepreneurs, offering encouragement and practical assistance whenever we could.

As we look to the future, we’re ready for yet another chapter as we begin our 4^th year of business.  We will continue to bring the best new books each season, finding those titles that make you happy and keep you informed and entertained. We will continue to find great new product lines for your gift-giving needs and your own pleasure.  We will continue to support our community with financial contributions, in-kind donations, and institutional discounts; as well as by being the local outlet for event tickets, and the ideas incubator for would-be entrepreneurs.

We not only want to encourage folks to shop local, we also want to become a destination for people outside of our community.  We will bring in more authors, more events, and more classes.  We want to live up to our name, by helping to bring the ‘Next Chapter’ to Knoxville.

Want more photos of life at The Next Chapter?  See our photo album

Moo by Matthew Van Fleet

Simon & Schuster, 2011, Babies & Preschoolers

The newest installment in the ever-popular, and oh-so-fun series of popup/pullout/swirl books from Van Fleet that include such titles as Tails, Heads, and Alphabet

 Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein

Harper Collins, 2011, Children of all Ages & the Young at Heart

A new, posthumous collection of poems and illustrations by the beloved Silverstein, carefully selected by a committee of his family and close associates, these poems have all the silly, absurd, spot-on charm of the collections Silverstein released while he was alive.  A must for every home with children!

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Roaring Brook Press, 2011, Picture Book, 4 to 8 year olds

A young boy shares his great-grandfather’s history through Grandpa Green’s fabulous topiary garden that documents the many stories of his life.  A tribute to the love between generations.

The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton

Candlewick, 2011, 4 to 8 year olds

Perennial favorites, Bear and Mouse return for a lighthearted but somewhat dramatic tale about the time Bear comes down with a bad cold and is nursed back to health by his loyal friend, Mouse.  Filled with warm-hearted messages about friendship and enough humor to keep the reading adults entertained.

Otis and the Tornado by Loren Long

Philomel, 2011, 4 to 8 year olds

Otis the little tractor is back again in a new adventure in which he helps save his animal friends on the farm from a destructive tornado.  With art echoing Grant Wood in mostly grey and sepia tones with splashes of color, this is an exciting tale about how doing the right thing has unexpected rewards.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Jerry Pinkney

Little Brown, 2011, 4 to 8 year olds

Last year’s Caldecott winner (for The Lion and the Mouse) is back with this classic childhood song done up as the prisma-color dream of a young chipmunk. Lush water-colors and simple text combine to let you imagine the story your own way. You will never visualize Twinkle Twinkle Little Star the same again!

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lightenheld

Chronicle, 2011, 4 to 8 year olds

With sweet rhyming text, this gentle book a lovely way for your little truck aficionado to end the day  The art is calming with its muted colors and sleepy faces on the trucks, making it the perfect bed time story.

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Delarcorte, 2010,  9 to 12 year olds

This years’ Newberry Award Winner, as well as the Midwest Bookseller’s Choice Award Winner, this is the story of a young girl named Abilene growing up during the depression. She is sent to Manifest, Kansas, to live with her father’s childhood friend when her dad takes a railroad job, and spends the summer learning more about her father’s orphaned childhood, and the ways in which the Manifest community came together to help raise him.  Ingeniously plotted and gracefully told, this father/daughter tale will resonate with any reader who’s ever wondered whether those old family stories really tell the whole truth.

The Books of Elsewhere : The Shadows and Spellbound by Jacqueline West

Dial, 2010-11,9 to 12 year olds

Roald Dahl meets Neil Gaiman in this creepy but whimsical series about an 11-year-old girl named Olive who moves into a Victorian mansion and discovers she can enter another world through the antique paintings left behind. With an engaging heroine and a batch of talking housecats this is a fun read, even for some reluctant readers.

Into the Trap by Craig Moodie

Roaring Brook Press, 2011,  9 to 12 year olds

A rip-roaring adventure about a boy from a New England fishing town who discovers that someone has been stealing his family’s lobster catch, and sets out to catch the culprits, facing down bullies and the rough seas along the way.  Set over a single, tense day, the novel’s chapter titles track the hours and give the book an immediate, real-time pace. An exciting drama for fans of Will Hobbs and Gary Paulsen.

Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero and  Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Hyperion, 2011,  9 to 12 year olds

A huge hit with the young readers here at The Next Chapter, these are the continuing adventures of the demi-god teens, modern children of Greek and Roman gods, With the same setting as the hugely successful Percy Jackson series.  With a fresh new cast of characters, Riordan continues the action-packed fun with a new prophecy and a new quest, complete with appearances by favorite characters from the previous series.  These books will delight especially the boys — but there are plenty of us girls who love a great adventure too!

Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck, illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Dial, 2011, 9 to 12 year olds

In the tradition of the Rescuers, and the Tale of Despereaux, comes a lighthearted tale of three plucky orphaned mice sisters caring for their little brother, and living among the Victorian-era Cranston family in their mansion in America.  When the Cranstons travel to England to find a husband for their elder daughter, the mice stow away in the luggage and have the adventure of their lives! Along the way they meet other mice, brave the dangers of the ship’s cat, help their human sisters find love, and find their own destinies along the way.  With wonderful, insightful writing from this beloved author, this is a definite don’t miss for any girl grades 3 and up!

The Winnitock Tales: The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin and The Mornith War by Patrick Doud

North Atlantic, 2010-2011,  9 to 12 year olds

A beautifully written epic fantasy adventure series that begins when Elwood, a 13 year old boy, and  his faithful dog Slukee are suddenly transported to the land of Winnitock, in another world, and must undertake a series of dangerous quests to try to save the inhabitants of Winnitock and return home. Winnitock has definite elements of Native America, and Dodd employs many of the traditional epic fantasy tropes, but the result is fresh and engrossing.  A bit off the best-seller beaten path, this series is not an easy read, but will engage fans of the Harry Potter series, (and even adult fans of Tad Williams) with its intricate plots, strong characters, imaginative setting, and poetic prose.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Scholastic, 2011,  9 years and up

Selznick, the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is back with this wonderful story that gives the readers two independent tales, set 50 years apart, one told in words, and the other told in pictures, in Selznick’s signature form.  Ben feels lost since the death of his mother, and Rose feels alone in her life with her father, both are searching for something that is missing, each finds a clue, and each will risk everything to find what they seek.  With over 460 pages of original drawings and playing with the form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Rich, complex, affecting and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary

Ship Breakers by Paolo Bacigalupi

Little Brown, 2010,  Teens

In a dystopian not-so-distant future, a boy named Nailer ekes out a living as a scavenger on grounded oil-tankers in the Gulf Coast Region; but when a beautiful clipper ship is grounded by a hurricane, and Nailer discovers a lone survivor — a beautiful girl — he faces a decision whether to strip the ship and make his fortune or to rescue the girl, which could lead to a better life.

Leviathan Series: Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Simon Pulse, 2009-2011,  Teens

Teen and adult readers will enjoy this beautifully illustrated alternate-history / steam-punk vision of the life and adventures of Prince Aleksander, son of the assassinated Duke Leopold whose murder sparked WWI.  Along the way, the Prince meets Deryn, a young British airman, who is actually a girl in constant danger of being discovered. They make their way through a wold filled with giant machines and genetically modified machine beasts, as they seek a way to end the world’s war.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Speak, 2011,  Teens

Piper has one month to get the high school student band, Dumb a paying gig.  If she can do this, she’ll become the band’s manager, and earn a share of the profit.  But how do you turn a rag-tag group of teens into a working band — especially when you can’t hear if they are any good because you are deaf?  But Piper has grit, and talent, and she rises to the challenge, and soon her self confidence, not to mention a budding romance are growing, In the meantime her family decides on a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, and Piper will have to learn what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe

Razorbill, 2011, Teens

A teen thriller, in which Jane finds herself paralyzed in a hospital bed after a terrible accident. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.  Everyone else believes it was an accident, and as her friends visit her in the hospital, and as she has plenty of time to lay and think, more memories surface, including ones about the day her best friend died, years earlier. With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she’s forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
(Shades of London #1)

GP Putnam, 2011, Teens

Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux goes to London to start a new life at a boarding school, but the same day as her arrival, the city is rocked by a series of brutal murders echoing the crimes of the infamous Jack the Ripper over a century before.  Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

St. Martin, 2011, Teens

Fast paced science fiction in which two spaceships travel away from a ravaged Earth toward a new planet with carefully selected colonists on board.  When the first ship breaks with plans and waits for the second ship to catch up with it, two years later, a chain of violent and life altering events takes place, leaving the children of the colony at war with the surviving adults from the first ship, and forced to govern and care for each other.  With some deep questions and pulse pounding action, this is a great story for older teens.

We’ve been taking a tour of popular fiction genres, reading three iconic or representative novels from a given genre each season.  We read romances in summer, and are finishing up Westerns next week.  We’ll take a break and meet again January 3rd, 2012, to discuss the first of our three Spy Thrillers! We’ve had a lot of fun with this ‘tour’, it has brought new people to our group, and we’re all reading a few books that are definitely out of our respective reading boxes.

I’ve done some googling, and learned that the Spy Thriller, as a genre, began to develop in the late 1800s, with a few suspense and mystery novels veering toward the espionage side of the tracks, with books like Kipling’s Kim, and then later by authors like James Fenimore Cooper. WWI and the Russian Revolution also spurred a number of spy novels, including The 39 Steps by John Buchan, and works by Joseph Conrad.

Later, during WWII, Helen MacInness and other writers revived the genre, which had languished a bit between the wars, but it was after the war was over, and the Cold War went into full swing, that Spy Thrillers really got going.  I have chosen to focus on titles written since this florescence, and have compiled a list of best-of-the-best Spy Thrillers for your feedback.

At our last meeting, I told our book club members that I would ask for input (I’m having a hard time choosing), so I’ve made a poll (see below) to allow you to vote for your top three favorites.  We are looking for those three Spy novels that are the best of the best and classics of the genre, or the best of one of the crucial authors in the genre.

So please, help me, vote for your TOP 3 Spy Thrillers from the list below.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Knopf, 2011, $26.95, Fiction
The magical tale of a mysterious circus that moves from place to place, unannounced, and sets up overnight in a palette of black, white, and silver.  Each tent holds surprises more wonderful than the last, and this book is well worth reading just for the descriptions of the tents and their contents.  But it is so much more.  It is also the story of two young magicians who are groomed since early childhood to compete in a mysterious rivalry with unknown rules and an unknown victory point.  And arching over these two themes, are the love stories of the people of the circus who feel every sort of love from filial and fraternal to the unrequited and the sublime.  This is the best book we’ve read in a very long time!

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Crown Publishing, 2011, $23.00, Fiction
A widow learns that her husband, Max, was not who she thought he was when a young man claiming to be Max’s grandson comes to her door and tells her Max is still alive. The two set out to find the elusive Max, and along the way they tell one another their stories of life with Max, and slowly reveal his true nature.  Mystery, history and romance with a lovely thread of golden baked eggs running through it. Yummy!

Coming Up for Air by Patty Callahan Henry

St. Martin’s Press, 2011, $24.99, Fiction
A moving novel about an artist grieving both her mother and her empty nest who must come to terms with her marriage and life.  Everything she thought she understood is then challenged when the writer researching her mother’s philanthropic life turns out to be an old flame, revealing more about her mother’s unknown life and about her own feelings.

Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

Touchstone, 2011, $16.00, Fiction
An injured ballerina from London learns that she has inherited a sheep station in Australia from her grandmother.  When she travels to Australia with the intent of selling the sheep station, she begins to learn more about her grandmother, whose life was rich, if not easy, and she finds that a new life is possible in the most unexpected places. Compelling, atmospheric, and romantic.  If you liked Kate Morton’s Forgotten Garden, pick up Wildflower Hill!

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Random House, 2011, $25.00, Fiction
An emotionally shattered young woman ages out of the foster care system, and struggles to find her way in the world, building a flower business along the way based on the Victorian idea of the Language of Flowers.  A dark condemnation of the current foster care system, this is not a happy book, but one with plenty of questions about what makes us who we are, and how we may someday be able to overcome it.

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Random House, 2011, $26.00, Fiction
Nightwoods may be Frazier’s best work to date. This is the lucid and beautifully written story of a reclusive woman who finds herself raising her murdered sister’s very damaged young twins in the South of the 1970s. A layered cast of characters includes the heir to a fortune, and the unholy duo of her lawman father and her psychotic brother-in-law.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Harper Collins, 2011, $26.99, Fiction
A pharmaceutical researcher goes to the Amazonian jungle to retrieve the notes and personal effects of a colleague who recently died there.  When she gets there, she encounters her former mentor, a renowned gynecologist researching the exceptional fertility among one of the native tribes, and comes face to face with her own past and the decisions that shaped it in the midst of the humid heat and hardships of the jungle. Beautiful and atmospheric writing drives home this emotional tour-de-force.

Lost in Shangri La by Mitchell Zuckoff

Harper, 2011, $26.99, History
Set during WWII in the Pacific, this is the suspenseful story of the search and rescue operation undertaken after a plane full of Medics crash lands among the dreaded Head Hunters of New Guinea, leaving only three survivors, including one woman.  A riveting story of deliverance under the most unlikely circumstances, Lost in Shangri-La deserves its place among the great survival stories of World War II.

Thirteen Hours & Trackers by Deon Meyer

Grove Atlantic, 2010 & 2011, $24.00, Mystery / Thriller
Where do you go after you’ve read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?  You move on to other top-notch foreign authors like Deion Myer.  In 13 Hours, South African police detective Benny Greisl must find a fleeing American girl who witnessed a terrible crime before the bad guys do while he solves another murder across town, all the while navigating the new social rules in South Africa.  If you liked the TV show 24, you’ll like the hour-by-hour non-stop action here.  In Trackers , Meyer’s brand new novel, a highly skilled bodyguard becomes embroiled in an animal smuggling and rescue operation. This is a brilliantly complex standalone thriller set in his native South Africa, which captures the many facets of modern South Africa.

Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason

Minotaur, 2011, $24.99, Mystery / Thriller
Another foreign writer to catch, the popular Icelandic author Indridason.  When the remains of a crashed WWII plane re-surface on an Icelandic glacier, a woman and her brother find themselves embroiled in a plot to hide its secrets that reaches from Nazi Germany to the highest reaches of government in the 21^st century.  With skillfully-wrought pulse-pounding suspense, authentic locales, and plenty of secrets and twists, the ending to this thriller was satisfying and left me ready for more Indridason!

The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal

Picador, 2011, $16.00, History / Biography
This strange and graceful family memoir follows the history of a group of Japanese Netsuke carvings from the late 19th century when they joined the collection of the Ephrussis, a prominent European Jewish family, through the family’s misfortunes during WWII, when a faithful maid saved the Netsukes – the only survivors from the vast art collection destroyed by the Nazis —  to the modern day when they were inherited by the author, a famous ceramicist in England.

Rin-Tin-Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

Simon & Schuster, 2011, $26.99, History
The life, legend and business of Rin-Tin-Tin, the soulful German shepherd who was born on the battlefields of World War I, immigrated to America, conquered Hollywood, struggled in the transition to the talkies, helped mobilize thousands of dog volunteers against Hitler and himself emerged victorious as the perfect family-friendly icon of cold war gunslinging, thanks to the new medium of television.  Epic and heartwarming, this is one terrific story, beautifully written and meticulously researched.  Perfect for the US history buff on your Christmas list!

American Boy by Larry Watson

Milkweed, 2011, $24.00, Fiction
Renowned Midwest author Larry Watson returns with this poignant coming-of-age story about a young boy in a small Midwestern town 1960s, and of the conflicts of loyalty that confront him after he is taken under the wing of the local doctor and his family.  This is one beautiful and wise novel that will linger in your mind for a long time to come.

Sacred Acre : The Ed Thomas Story by Mark Tabb

Zondervan 2011, $22.99, Biography / Memoir
The moving and inspiring biography of beloved Parkersburg, Iowa, coach who was a high school football coach, a man of deep faith, and a pivotal leader in his community, and who was senselessly gunned down by a disturbed former student.  This is also the story of the grace and love that his family showed to Thomas’ murderer and his family in the aftermath.  Riveting, and highly recommended.

Wicked River : The Mississippi When it Last Ran Wild by Lee Sandlin

Knopf, 2011, $15.95, History
The fascinating history of the mighty Mississippi River during its heyday as the nation’s highway in the first half of the 19th century.  A tribute to the river’s complexity and power with all its floods and snags, this narrative is populated by slaves and merchants, farmers and drifters, would-be revolutionaries and artists, their stories told with humor and a certain raw authenticity that adds another dimension to the classic vision of the Mississippi written by Mark Twain.  A fun and thought provoking chapter of our nation’s history.

The Orchard : A Memoir by Theresa Weir

Grand Central, 2011, $24.99, Biography / Memoir
This is the moving and surprising memoir of a city girl who after a whirlwind courtship, marries into an Iowa Apple farming family, only to find that life on the farm is isolated and heartbreaking.  She struggles to integrate into her new husband’s family, and with the family, she struggles against the pests that threaten not only the apples but also their livelihood and their lives.

Heartland: The Cookbook by Judith Fertig

Andrews McMeel, 2011, $30.00, Cooking
This gorgeous cookbook celebrates the bounty of locally grown food, and the traditions of the Midwest with all its rich ethnic and historical heritage in a mouth-watering presentation of traditional ingredients and wonderful recipes.  What a great gift for any cook, or any midwesterner!

Woodland Style by Marlene Hurley Marshall

Feiwel & Friends, 2010, $24.95, Home Décor
Both art-book and craftista-inspiration, this gorgeous volume is chock full of beautiful things to make and admire from materials gathered in the forest.  A wonderful gift for those of us who never return from a walk in the woods with empty pockets.

Life is a Verb and Creative is a Verb by Patti Digh

Globe Pequot, 2010, $19.90 each, Inspiration
Life is a Verb is brilliantly-crafted, beautifully-designed, and not your mother’s kind of ‘self-help’ book. It guides the reader, through stories that sparkle, astonish and soar, how to move toward who you really are and what you want through actions.  Creative is a Verb, the follow up, helps the reader realize their own creative spirit, whether they be artists or folks who say ‘I’m not creative’.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair : My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch

Harper, June 2011, $23.99, Memoir
After her sister’s death, a woman who grew up in a family of readers, resolves to spend a year reading one book a day, and writing about it.  The result is this thoughtful memoir that explores the healing and transformational power of reading.

The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak.

An exquisitely written novel of a young Hungarian shepherd turned sharpshooter during WWI.  Brought to my attention by John Leeper (a big thanks to John!), this is a beautiful little book with a great big story written in some of the most beautifully evocative prose I’ve encountered on a very long time.  My favorite read so far this year, this gem is surely destined to become a classic!  Read more.

Empire of the Summer Moon : Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, by S.C. Gwynne

S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

Beautiful Disaster by Laura Spinella

Our wonderful customer, Karen Zeck brought this one to my attention, with an effusive endorsement — this from someone who reads dozens of books a month!  Beautiful Disaster is the story of a love lost…and found.

Mia Wells’s eco-friendly career goals are about to become a reality-but her life-altering moment is interrupted when an unexpected call ushers in her tremulous past. A man who’s never left Mia’s memory: Flynn, the enigmatic, passionate man whose disappearance broke her heart, has mysteriously resurfaced.  Now back in her life and in the hospital, Flynn is gravely injured. Mia keeps a bedside vigil- terrified that he will die, awestruck at the prospect of his survival. In a story filled with sweetness and suspense, Mia’s what-ifs are endless. And Flynn’s return ignites an achingly powerful tale about the most enduring love, one that is greater than honor, or friendship, or the passing of time.  Read more.  Here’s another review

Folly Beach : A Lowcountry Tale by Dorothea Benton Frank

Experience the wild beauty and sultry magic of New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank’s Carolina Lowcountry—where the pull of family is as powerful as the ocean tides and love can strike faster than lightning in summer.

New Books to Check Out!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children  by Ransom Riggs (read Bob Leonard’s review here).

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson,

From the author of The Devil in the White City comes a masterful new history.  This time, bestselling author Larson turns his attention to the early days of the Nazis in Germany, as one American family bears eyewitness to the complex and horrifying events that unmasked Hitler’s true character.  A dazzling and addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recongize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe were awash in blood and terror.  Read more.

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

The wrenching, beautifully wrought chronicle of how one damaged Polish family goes to England to try to become, once again a true family in the aftermath of WWII.  It is a searing tour de force of war and the terrible choices it inflicts on human beings, and how love is the only redemption possible.  It is a powerful story of primal maternal love, survival, and ultimately, acceptance.  Read more.

The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross

“With exquisite language and an empathetic ear, Gwendolen Gross paints a gorgeous portrait of life, love, loss and sisterhood, and forces you to ask yourself: how far will you go for your family and what secrets can shatter even that bond? The Orphan Sister will linger long after you’ve turned the final page.” —Allison Winn Scotch.  Read more.