From the same editor at Random House comes another book I’ve completely fallen in love with, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. As the foremost Anglophile currently employed at R.J. Julia’s, I can confidently state that anyone who thrills to the work of Barbara Pym or P.G. Wodehouse will love Helen Simonson’s debut novel. This book describes what happens when a retired Army major in a small British village is touched by the kindness of Mrs. Ali, a widow of Pakistani descent. Can love flourish? Will we see our heroes overcome prejudice, vanquish a villain, and reunite two antique rifles? This is a wonderful, wry, warm love story that looks at two insular cultures and their often bumpy interactions. I loved this book (did I mention I loved this book?) and only wish I’d met the major before Mrs. Ali did.

We have a nice stack in the store, so stop by – or click on the title to order.

- Karen

p.s. I’m sorry, were you hoping for cows?

Union Atlantic is the story of greed and generosity, young love and cynical sex, old families and ambitious upstarts, and it had me completely mesmerized. Haslett must have access to a crystal ball, because he started writing this well before the financial meltdown of the last few years. An old-school New England Yankee is appalled when a young Wall Street financier builds a McMansion on her former property; Nate, student of Charlotte and lover of Doug, is torn between these two neighbors.

Aside from telling you about a book I feel so strongly about, I also wanted to ask you about the entire book review process. Union Atlantic has received lots of great pre-publication enthusiasm from other independent booksellers (yes, many of us are friends and share our thoughts on books – we’re a very opinionated bunch of folks). This Tuesday, the New York Times reviewed the book, and gave it a less-than-glowing and kind of weird review. More specifically, Michiko Kakutani, the notoriously (how do I say this politely) moody reviewer, called the book “lumpy.” (I’m not sure what a “lumpy” book is – when I was little we had a leak in our living room ceiling and a bunch of books got soaked; those became very lumpy after a while, but I don’t think that’s what she meant.)

Today, the Washington Post’s Ron Charles gave the book a wonderful thumbs up – invoking F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hawthorne, Howard Zinn, and Jon Hamm (click here for the full review). So my question is this: how do you decide what books to read? What reviewers, if any, do you trust and follow? How much attention do you pay to the daily New York Times versus the Sunday Book Review? Do friends or your local booksellers, or even certain publishers, carry more weight? Or do you just say the heck with everyone and go your own merry way? All comments are welcome!

Every time I read a book about DNA/cells/memory, the HeLa cell is mentioned. And now here is what it’s all about. Do I understand neuroscience any better? No. But I have met a woman and her family and am confronted with the dilemma of the benefit to science vs. the pain and dismay of her descendants.  This is not easy to read – not because of the difficulty of the science but the philosophical questions of “common good.” We should all be aware of the consequences of the advancement of science, the benefits to us all weighed against the financial gain to a few, and the hardship and confusion that falls to those left behind. A wonderful book, well written – there is no finger pointing here, just a huge quantity of food for thought.

Rebecca Skloot spent more than ten years researching the book (her first) and talking to the Lacks family, who still struggle with the knowledge that billions and billions of Henrietta’s cells are still alive. Check out this glowing New York Times review, and stop by the store to check out the book.

This Salinger, he’s a short story guy. And he knows how to write about kids. This book though, it’s too long. Gets kind of monotonous. And he should’ve cut out a lot about these jerks and all at that crumby school. They depress me. They really do.

I took a quick poll around the bookstore, and reactions ranged from, “Wasn’t that the book the dude that assassinated John Lennon was reading?” to “I’ll be interested to see what Joyce Maynard has to say” to “He was still alive?” The most thoughtful reaction came from Lily, who said, “I think that, along with the Beats, he struck a chord with the disaffected and his work helped set the stage for the youth movement of the ’60s. I mean, Holden Caulfield, with his questioning and rejecting of the status quo, was something of a proto-hippie.”

Do you remember what your reaction was to The Catcher in the Rye? How would you rate it among the most influential books of the twentieth century, and does it deserve its place in the pantheon? Or was there another book that really spoke to you when you were Holden’s age? We’d love to hear what you think.

Given the range of both narratives, this work of extravagantly fine fiction cannot really be called a short-story collection. It’s more of a reunion, or a set of successfully completed jigsaw puzzles. Each of the two quartets has been pieced together into a time-traveling novella filled with hindsight and passion and ever-evolving emotions.  – New York Times

Lily, our new (well, I guess not-so-new – she survived a Christmas season with aplomb) store manager, is possibly one of Amy’s most ardent fans. Roxanne treated Amy to a pre-event dinner, and Lily managed to cadge a seat. It’s rare when you get to tell an author how important her work is to you, especially over a leisurely glass of wine. And Roxanne even borrowed from Lily’s shelftalker for the introduction:

What I love most about Amy Bloom’s writing is the compassion and insight with which she regards her characters – and the way in which she honors the complexity of their emotional lives, and refuses to judge – how refreshing! These beautifully crafted stories are alive with honest feeling and characters that are fully realized and captivating.

Lily was thrilled: “Amy’s audience doesn’t like her, they love her. Although I could be projecting.” The audience was rapt and the questions flew.

Thank you, Amy, for coming to R.J.’s. And if you missed the event, well, now, do you get our e-mails? No? I’ll make it easy for you – simply click here. And we hope to see you soon!

My 8-pound cast iron pan has spent more time in my cabinet than in the oven, but now I’m inspired to figure out what to do with it. The Cast Iron Cookbook is full of great cold weather recipes: Croque Monsieur, short ribs, chili, even deep dish pizza. Plus you’ll never need to pop an iron pill again. For pure entertainment value, make sure not to skip the “Cleaning & Seasoning” your cookware chapter. If you’ve let your pan get rusty, simply don rubber gloves and eye protection and spray your pan with oven cleaner. Or if you need to clean a lot of pieces, soak in a mixture of water and lye! If all else fails, go at it with “the fine wire wheel of an electric drill.” You’ll be glad to know they don‘t recommend sandblasting the pan.

For those of us single people, let’s resolve to stop plopping on the couch with a box of cereal, the cats, and repeats of “American Idol,” calling that dinner. Judith Jones, cookbook editor extraordinaire (she discovered Julia Child) has written The Pleasures of Cooking for One. The recipes are surprisingly simple, don’t use a ton of ingredients that will just go to waste, and Jones is very clever at getting three or four wildly varied meals out of a single chicken or pork loin. So uncork a bottle of wine (it will keep for a few days), turn off the tv, and set the table – and don’t share with the cats.

Speaking of resolutions, I’ve already picked out treats for when I fall off my “health kick” wagon (in about a week or so). I’ll be grabbing Salty Sweets and heading to the supermarket – there’s just something about about Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse or Sticky Toffee Pudding that causes me to melt. Also included is a chapter on something called “fruit” – but as I don’t believe chocolate is an ingredient of “fruit,” I’ll leave that for others.

As Julia would say, “Bon Appetit, and click on the links to order!”

- Karen

Did you miss us? We are back from our post-holiday rehab (for Ghirardelli squares and home-baked goods – that’s what happens when you work with a group of women) and are looking forward to the calendar flipping over. [Teaser alert:] In January, I’ll be telling you about a book by a short story writer who’s decided to dive into the full-length novel pool – his new book is really fabulous and will end up on lots of award lists at the end of 2010.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. After I put my “Happy New Year’s” tiara back in storage, I’ll be gathering friends and family for a pretty neat event on Wednesday, January 6th. Our two wonderful Random House sales reps, Michael and Ann, will be presenting Graphic Literature: More than Manga and Superman. Why do I want you to come, too? Because 1) if you already read graphic novels, you’re going to discover some great titles you’ve probably missed; 2) if you only read “traditional” books, you’re going to be introduced to a new way to enjoy some wonderful fiction, biography, and current events titles; and 3) you’ll get to schmooze with two pretty smart industry insiders.

I’d always assumed graphic novels were all about crazy Japanese cartoon characters or Batman – either too bubble-gum pop or too dark and gothic for my tastes. Then I found myself stuck in a hotel with only one galley: Stitches, a memoir by David Small. “Ah, now I get it,” I said at 2:30 in the morning, when I’d finished it. A stunning, powerful story of stunted family emotions, secrets, and a young boy, this ranks as one of my top five books of the year – and certainly my favorite biography.  I gave it to my friend Tom, who runs Beacon Press – they publish the poet Mary Oliver, weighty tomes on serious current issues, and have won a slew of awards. And he loved it.

So I can’t wait for Michael and Ann to introduce me to more wonderful books: Persepolis, the story of the 1979 Iranian Revolution through the eyes of young Marjane; Asterios Polyp, a novel about a womanizing architecture professor who moves to the midwest after his Manhattan apartment burns down; A.D., one of the most wrenching tellings of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and more. I hope we’ll see you on the 6th – click here to sign up.

Karen

1) Author breakfasts (no, we don’t eat them). Joshua Ferris earned the adoration of every bookseller in the room by being completely funny and charming on very short notice. Anita Shreve had been scheduled to talk about her new book but was ill; Josh got a desperate call at 10:30 the night before the 8 am breakfast, said “Sure,” and left his 15 day-old baby to come give a speech. And he was great. He gets the Good Sport Award.

2) Mary Karr (Liars Club – I’m sure lots of you have read it, if not, it’s the one of the first, best, and least self-indulgent confessional memoirs) was funny and lovely. Her new book, Lit: A Memoir, talks about motherhood, daughterhood, personal demons, religion and redemption. She had on one extremely cool pair of purple suede boots. (And she admired my vintage mauve jacket). Clearly, the way to her heart: purple.

3) I survived speaking in front of a room of 100 – this may not sound like a big deal to you, but public speaking fills me with terror. Luckily, I had a very easy author to introduce: Sy Montgomery wrote The Good Good Pig, a wonderful book about adopting a tiny runt piglet who grew into Christopher Hogwood, 750 pounds of loving, and rambled about the neighborhood receiving belly rubs and other treats. Sy gave a very moving talk about the power of books and independent booksellers.

4) Another authorial crush: Adam Haslett, talking about his forthcoming novel (see, isn’t he cute?). Said after a half hour of talking about Union Atlantic: “As you can see, I do not have an elevator pitch for this book.” I just finished the galley last night, and it’s an amazing look at conflicts over class and corporate power and an eerily prescient story of the collapse of a huge financial institution. Don’t be scared about all the finance bits – I can’t balance my checkbook & still managed to understand what was going on. Sorry, the book won’t be out til January, but I’ll remind you – and trust me, this book will be getting lots of great reviews.

Other fun bits: It turns out Gail Collins used to be the editor of the Shoreline Times (Madison’s local newspaper). Sarah Vowell talked about Wordy Shipmates, and if you can get laughs with the Puritans, you’re good. Ward Just, leaning against the podium: “No one in this room has gotten rich from a Ward Just title. That would include Ward Just.”

These events always reaffirm my love of books, selling books, and people who write great books. Now, I have a question for you. We often talk about opening up these events to the public, much like Comic-Con, the comic book & graphic novel convention that draws thousands. How many of you would be interested in a convention where you’d hear authors talk, meet & greet them, talk to publishers about forthcoming books? Or is this just something bookselling nerds get excited about? Please leave a comment below, yea or nea.

Karen

p.s. As always, click on the jacket for more info or to order.

Vintage Classics is rereleasing a bunch of old favorites, and I picked up F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Flappers and Philosophers, which includes “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” and 19 other short stories. Flappers is Fitzgerald’s debut story collection from 1920, back when he and Zelda were painting the town red. In the sordid story of their marriage and unraveling lives, I have to admit to being on Team Zelda – if you haven’t read Zelda: A Biography, it’s well worth reading. (Nancy Milford also wrote the biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, which I also loved.)

What is the connection between our next two books? Funny you should ask – The Interrogative Mood is a novel that I find is best read with a stiff drink close by. Every sentence – yes, each and every last one – is a question, veering wildly between the silly and the sublime. “Do you quite credit that there are burrowing owls? Would you like to be a harbormaster? In your view, is a gesture of charity genuine or is it a kind of deep moral tax write-off?” Definitely a book to be read while shamrocked.

What’s that,  you say? I heard Paul Dickson on NPR talking about Drunk: The Definitive Drinker’s Dictionary, and if you’re looking for new ways to mock your “polite” friends or “seafaring” relatives, this is for you. “Having a closer look at the footpath”? Feeling “Dean Martoonied”? At best a cautionary book; unless you want to be called “tight as a brassiere” you might be compelled to lay off the sauce.

- Karen

Invoking various angels and demons and cursing the weak illumination from the miniscule flashlight clutched between his teeth, Robert Langdon crawled into the dark recess beneath the hideously carved desk that occupied the center of the Oval Office and groped blindly for the object of his quest, the missing key from the antediluvian typewriter resting on the desk: the errant asterisk.

Donna gets bonus points for invoking the title of a previous Dan Brown book and using a six-syllable word. Congratulations, and thanks to everyone else who submitted for making this such a challenge to judge!