Staff Recommendations, Week of January 4, 2022

 
A new year brings new books, and with them come new recommendations from you friendly Boswellians.

First it's Boswell Book Company proprietor Daniel Goldin for How We Eat: The Brave New World of Food and Drink, by Paco Underhill. Daniel says: "Paco Underhill’s techniques, adopted from urban planning research, led to Why We Buy, a book that has shaped the behavior of many retailers, including mine. In How We Eat, he turns to food retailing, but the authorly stroll through the average supermarket morphs to an image of an abandoned shopping cart, what with so much of retail moving online. Throughout, How We Eat ponders ethical questions of always-in-season produce, growing concern about animal processing, consumption, and ultra-processed foods, albeit with a light touch. There is more pondering and interviewing of experts here and less findings from Envirosell studies. When we did get consumer behavior insight, like the supermarket chain that found that doing some cleaning during the day instead of when the store was closed improved customer ratings, I savored it. All told, lots of interesting ideas to digest here!"

Next, two recs from Kay Wosewick. Her first is for The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche. Kay says: "Traffic invariably slows near car accidents as people gawk at the scene. The Next Civil War evoked a similar response in me. I had to look. I had to read the book. I knew it would be ugly, but still… I read it. Most everyone agrees that we, Americans, are largely divided into two distinct groups that hold opposing opinions on many very important subjects, such as immigration, race, immunization, gun rights, abortion, the voting process, the meaning of personal freedom. Marche argues that these differences will likely tip the US into civil war. It may be easy to pick holes in the 5 scenarios Marche has drawn of possible triggers of war. But damn, I can’t pick a hole in his premise: unless substantial reconciliation begins post-haste, one day a spark will irretrievably divide us."

Kay also suggests The High House by Jessie Greengrass. Kay says: "The High House is poised at the edge of a seasonal resort town, where its residents are little affected by worldly issues nine months of the year. Declining seasonal visitors hint at problems in the cities, but folks in High House ignore signs of climate change until their town is empty and finally hit by devastating storms. This intimate, quiet portrayal of self-reliant folks in denial until the sea knocks on their front door may be a quiet warning to all of us."

Jen Steele wraps up the new recs in the books for adults category with Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez. Jen says: "The Acevedos are a complex family just like any other; secrets, rivalries, loss, love, and healing are at the heart of this novel. Olga Dies Dreaming is a stirring family saga that kept me invested in the characters until the very last page!"

We've also got two teen / YA recommendations for you this week. The first comes from Parker Jensen, for When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord. Parker says: "Millie Price is determined to follow her dreams and achieve her goal of becoming a Broadway star by any means necessary. Even if that means lying to her dad and secretly applying to a school on the other side of the country. But when her scheme is discovered and simultaneously squandered, Millie needs plan B. When she accidentally stumbles onto her dad's old LiveJournal from 2003, now Millie might have discovered a plan B, one that just might involve the mother she never got to meet. The only problem is, she could be one of several women. It looks like Millie might just have a real-life Mamma Mia! on her hands. Not to mention the fact that she is currently being forced to work all summer long with her sworn mortal enemy, Oliver, who might be just a tad cute if you look at him at the right angle. When You Get the Chance is jam-packed with Emma Lord's signature style of wit and whimsy, fantastic banter, and colorful characters you won't soon forget. Lord perfectly balances humor and heart while building a story that centers around friendship, family, love, and self-acceptance. Don't miss When You Get the Chance, because you won't get the chance to read anything as charming as Emma Lord's work anytime soon!"

Rachel Copeland wraps up the brand new book recommending with One True Loves by Elise Bryant. Rachel says: "Seventeen-year-old Lenore's family is the definition of Black excellence - a lawyer, nonprofit business owner, a pre-law student, and an actual 10-year-old genius. So why can't she commit to a major? The summer cruise along the coast of Europe with her family is supposed to be a getaway, perhaps complete with whirlwind romance, but instead the pressure is on to figure out her whole life plan or face the disappointment of her family. Then sweet, helpful Alex Lee with his ten-year med school plan shows up to ruin her whole summer - and steal her heart in the process. This book is so sweet. I really felt for Lenore - not everyone can, or should, figure out their whole life by seventeen! - and I rooted for her as she figured out ways to open up about her struggles with her loved ones. I look forward to more from Elise Bryant!"

And do we have a just-released-in-paperback type of recommendation as well? We do, we do!

Kay Wosewick suggests A Crooked Tree, the novel by Una Mannion. Kay says: "Libby - the 15-year-old narrator of A Crooked Tree - and her four siblings are wound up as they head home in the family station wagon after the last day of school for summer. Ellen, 12, is really annoying her mother, who suddenly pulls over and orders Ellen to get out of the car and walk home, a roughly 6-mile hike in rural Pennsylvania. The tone for the entire summer has just been set. Trauma, revenge, sibling rivalry, absentee parenting, affairs, class differences, friendship grievances, betrayals, plus an older neighbor's unwanted intrusion into the young narrator’s life, all propel the story forward at breakneck speed. Poor decisions, made one atop another, feed the reader’s anticipation of inevitable disaster. Set in the 1970s, this coming-of-age story boldly takes on societal issues that still resonate today. Mannion’s first novel is incisive, riveting and impossible to put down."