Ante Up!
With thousands of books published each year and much attention paid to the works of bestselling and well-known authors, it is inevitable that some titles worthy of praise and discussion may not get the attention we think they deserve. Thus throughout 2009, we will be spotlighting books that immediately struck a chord with us and made us say “just read this.” Our plan is to alert our readers about these titles as soon as they’re released so you can discover them for yourselves and recommend them to your family and friends.
Here are our latest featured titles:
THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE by Heather Gudenkauf
As I flew back from San Diego earlier this week, I started reading THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE by Heather Gudenkauf, and from the first page this debut author grabbed me. Why? She dropped me right into the story in the Prologue, and from there the characters drew me through a plot that had me inside their lives and their heads bouncing from one perspective to the next. Though I was jetlagged and worn out when I got home, I could not stop reading and I didn’t until I closed the book at 11:30 that night. So what is the story?
Seven-year-old Calli Clark is a little girl with a story locked inside her. She suffers from select mutism, which means that she has elected not to speak though she is able to. Her silence began when a tragedy struck her family in her toddler years. Her friend Petra Gregory understands Calli and often speaks for her --- and fights for her with others who elect to have less compassion for this obviously wounded child. Then one night both girls are found missing from their homes. And the search for them will bring together two families who both have secrets that haunt them --- and many truths will be told.
The chapters are told from various character perspectives, including Calli, Petra, their parents, Calli’s brother, a police officer who has a past with Calli’s mother, and another deputy. Each will leave you with a piece of the story that has told you just enough to get you to turn the page to see where it goes next. It’s the kind of storytelling that is tough to do as each character in each chapter needs to fit just right to keep it moving --- and thus it is even more admirable to see how Gudenkauf pulls it off in a debut. The power of her writing and the tension in the story is very reminiscent to me of another book that I found equally as compelling when I read it years ago, ME & EMMA by Elizabeth Flock. Oh, and THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE is a trade paperback original, making it a very affordable Bets On selection.
- Click here to read a review of THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE.
- Click here to read an interview with Heather Gudenkauf.
- Click here to see the reading group guide for THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE.
- Click here to read a blog post by Heather Gudenkauf
HOW SHALL I TELL THE DOG?: And Other Final Musings, by Miles Kington
HOW SHALL I TELL THE DOG?: And Other Final Musings, by Miles Kington, is snappy, witty and thought-provoking. Kington was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and in this memoir writes about the thoughts that come to him along the way as he muses his exit from this world. It's written as letters to his longtime agent, Gill Coleridge, who shared her thoughts on both Miles and his writing the book in a blog post for us here. It's not somber, but rather uplifting. Kington does not cling to false hope, but rather seems ready to exit the world thinking of life with humor, on his own terms. I have long held a theory of making every day matter as I lost a good friend when I was in my 30s who made me look long and hard at what matters in life. This book affirmed my commitment to that with a lot of nods and smiles.
As a side note, Kington had always wanted to write a bestseller, and he got his wish posthumously when this book hit the charts in the UK shortly after publication. Also, Kington never told his employer, The Independent, that he was ill, and in fact turned in a column on the day he died. It's truly inspirational.
- Click here to read a review of HOW SHALL I TELL THE DOG?
- Click here to read a blog post from Gill Coleridge, Miles Kington’s literary agent and friend.
Previous Titles
CRAZY FOR THE STORM: A Memoir of Survival, by Norman Ollestad
CRAZY FOR THE STORM is the story of Norman Ollestad’s relationship with his dad, who cultivated a daredevil survival streak in him that he credits with saving his life when he was in a charter plane crash on a mountain at age 11 that killed his dad, his dad’s girlfriend and the pilot. As he walked down the snowy icy mountain alone, he says he felt confident he would be okay, and he never gave up. Parents often wonder what their children learn from them --- Norman’s takeaway from his 11 years with his dad infused him with a spirit of "never give up" that has carried him through his life.
- Click here to read a review of CRAZY FOR THE STORM.
- Click here to read an excerpt from CRAZY FOR THE STORM.
- Click here to read our interview with Norman Ollestad.
- Click here to watch a video in which Norman Ollestad discusses CRAZY FOR THE STORM.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre and Frederic Lemercier
THE PHOTOGRAPHER is a stunningly original work that tells the story of Didier Lefèvre’s 1986 journey with Doctors Without Borders into Afghanistan through photos and graphic panels. Written and drawn by Emmanuel Guibert and designed by Frederic Lemercier, the dramatic and personal story of Lefèvre’s journey will both inform and haunt you. Lefèvre’s photos are dramatic essays unto themselves, but set as they are to punctuate the drawings and story, readers will feel they are in the story, not merely watching from the sidelines. Guibert’s work portrays both Lefèvre’s triumphs and anguishes, and he paces the book wonderfully.
Beyond telling Lefèvre’s story of this trip, one of seven that he made into Afghanistan, readers will get to know more about the missions of Doctors Without Borders. I had not been aware of the physically stressful aspect of these missions as the doctors trekked long distances from Pakistan to get to their outposts. Reading about the U.S.’s position in Afghanistan in the ’80s will inform and maybe even surprise readers. We were aiding the fight with the Russians, giving pause as one reflects on what is going on in this part of the world today.
A great personal story first, a political story second, THE PHOTOGRAPHER is a book that is perfect to introduce to readers who previously might have overlooked graphic novels, as well as one to be savored as a milestone work by those who already enjoy the format.
- Click here to read a review of THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
- Click here to look inside THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN by Mahbod Seraji
Set in Tehran in 1973, ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN drops you into the world of Pasha and Ahmed, who while away their summer hours on the roof. They are in that in-between year --- not still a child, but not quite an adult --- where they are feeling their way to the next thing. They play games, mull the future --- and think about girls. Pasha has a secret crush on Zari, the fiancé of a local boy named Doctor, who is older. But beyond this world on the roof, Tehran is explosive with the SAVAK running around the city looking for those who are outspoken against the Shah and the government. One night on the roof, a look from Pasha turns their world upside down --- and the fallout will change everyone’s lives.
This story of friendship reminded me of THE KITE RUNNER, as did the vivid descriptions of the time and place. The pacing is wonderful, the characters are vivid, and the entire book will take you somewhere that you will think about long after you leave it. It’s a book you will long to talk about after it’s been read.
- Click here to read a review of ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN.
- Click here to read an excerpt from ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN.
- Click here to see the reading group guide for ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN.
- Click here to read an interview with Mahbod Seraji.
A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick
A RELIABLE WIFE opens with Ralph Truitt standing on a train platform on a cold winter morning waiting for a woman who had answered his ad looking for "a reliable wife," "a simple honest woman." But Catherine Land is not the woman who she appears to be, and she, like Ralph, has secrets to hide. Thus their story takes you on a very wild ride that is neither quiet nor placid. Passion, lust and greed motivate the characters. Readers will not be able to look away until they read the final page, lured in by a plot that continually delivers and writing that is careful but never precious. Every look has meaning; every plot twist propels the story faster. It's just brilliant.
- Click here to read a review of A RELIABLE WIFE.
- Click here to read an excerpt from A RELIABLE WIFE.
THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett
Set in 1963, THE HELP is the story of three women --- two African-American maids in the Deep South and a young white woman who sees a story in the world that they live in. You hear the voices, see the houses and truly feel like a voyeur in their world. I found myself reaching for my advance reading copy of the book between present opening, dinner preparations and other holiday festivities in December. Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter are strong characters, and the stories they tell speak volumes about the time. Stockett closes the book with a piece about her family's maid, which shows why she could write this novel with such insight and honesty. No matter what your political views about our new president, reading THE HELP and seeing the world 46 years ago when the right to vote was something that was fought over, and not taken for granted, is interesting.
- Click here to read a review of THE HELP.
- Click here to read an excerpt from THE HELP.
- Click here to read an interview with Kathryn Stockett.
- Click here to see the reading group guide for THE HELP.
- Click here to listen to Kathryn Stockett discuss THE HELP, and discover the story behind the novel.
HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford
Henry Lee comes upon the Panama Hotel in Seattle, where the new owner has found a treasure trove of belongings that were left there by Japanese families who were taken to internment camps during World War II. Henry, who is of Chinese heritage, reflects back on a young Japanese woman, Keiko Okabe, with whom he had an innocent but profound love. He searches the hotel looking for anything that may remind him of Keiko's family. His reminiscences as well as his internal conflicts create a beautiful story of hope, forgiveness and the power of love.
- Click here to read a review of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.
- Click here to read an excerpt from HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.
- Click here to read an interview with Jamie Ford.
STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. STILL ALICE has an authentic voice and a pitch-perfect tone even as Alice loses control of her own words. This compelling debut novel has been released simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback.
- Click here to read a review of STILL ALICE.
- Click here to read an excerpt from STILL ALICE.
- Click here to see the reading group guide for STILL ALICE.
SHELTER ME by Juliette Fay
After the sudden death of her husband, Janie LaMarche’s life sweeps her up and unwillingly marches her on with a role as a solo parent to her two small children. As she stumbles through each day overwhelmed and dazed in a haze of grief and overwhelming sadness, she finds a cast of unlikely characters who help her unravel her feelings --- and set a new course. These include a contractor who shows up ready to build the porch her husband had commissioned without her knowledge and the parish priest who is unflinchingly nice even when Janie is acerbic and biting, as well as strong-willed Aunt Jude and a cousin named Cormac, who delivers bakery creations from his shop to match every mood. Along with these well-drawn characters, strong emotion and wry humor ensure that SHELTER ME is a story to savor and love.
- Click here to read more about SHELTER ME.
- Click here to read an excerpt from SHELTER ME.
- Click here to see the reading group guide for SHELTER ME.
